Why badger culls are unnecessary and ignore science – Yorkshire Post Letters

THE badger cull in Britain is a disgrace. Around 20,000 badgers were killed last year, but cases of bovine TB have significantly risen, demonstrating how absurd this cull is.

It is extremely worrying that the Government would continue a practice despite clear scientific evidence of its ineffectiveness.

If the Government really wants to reduce the incidence of TB – and other diseases – in farmed animals, it needs to generally improve the animals’ living conditions, because stressed animals are more vulnerable to disease; close down overcrowded intensive farms where disease spreads rapidly; and ban long-distance transportation of animals as this can turn a small local outbreak into a national – or international – disaster. It should also ensure that strict biosecurity is observed on farms and at markets.

From: David Thomas, Guiseley.

I AM told that Defra stands for 
the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. When is it going to become a champion of the rural economy?

Yes, it should be protecting wildlife – but its remit extends far beyond this and the Government’s levelling-up agenda continues to totally ignore rural areas. Why?

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