Badger culls trigger countryside protests

The actions in Gloucestershire and Somerset have been condemned by animal welfare groups as inhumane but Owen Paterson said the cattle and dairies industries could not afford for the disease to get worse while they wait for a workable vaccine.

Some protestors have camped in the cull zones to show their opposition. Twelve campaigners at a protest camp in Somerset were being evicted from the site on Wednesday after having camped overnight to take part in patrols to protect badgers in the area.

Mr Paterson said: “If we had a workable vaccine we would use it. A badger vaccine would have no effect on the high proportion of sick badgers in TB hotspots who would continue to spread the disease. We are working on new badger and cattle vaccines but they are years away from being ready and we cannot afford to wait while TB gets worse.”

In a letter to members of the National Farmers’ Union, the organisation’s president Peter Kendall also said the cull was justified.

He wrote: “We cannot go on culling tens of thousands of cattle every year because of TB while knowing the disease exists in wildlife uncontrolled.

“It is why the NFU will be working with the pilot companies to ensure the successful delivery of these pilot culls over the coming weeks.”

According to the Department for Environ-ment, Food and Rural Affairs, more than 28,000 cattle were slaughtered in England in 2012 due to bovine TB, and new herd incidents in Great Britain have risen from 1,075 in 1996 to 5,171 in 2012.

In the past year, 6,919 herds were under restrictions due to bovine TB.

Nevertheless, the RSPCA has publicly expressed its “deep sadness” that the culls have begun.

Gavin Grant, the charity’s chief executive, said: “It is now that the realities of the cull may become clear. As we speak thousands of innocent animals are being culled in our countryside – and we do not know the extent of their suffering or how humane the methods being used to kill them are.

“It is very likely that many of them are lying injured, suffering a painful death. We fear we could well receive an influx of calls to come to their rescue.

“The most tragic thing is that this suffering is so needless. Science has shown that this cull is not the answer to bovine TB in cattle. In fact, it could make things a lot worse. Vaccination and better bio-security are the only sustainable and true ways forward.”

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Mr Paterson said: “The purpose of this cull is to show that shooting by trained marksmen, under very carefully controlled circumstances is humane and effective.”

Culls had proved effective elsewhere, he said, such as in the Republic of Ireland where there had been a 23 per cent reduction in disease in cattle since carrying out badger culls.