Hi all,
I'm looking for advice, But not just sentimental advice. You may have seen the video's that I have posted on Youtube under user name sac43, some of which have been linked to this site.
Well last year DEFRA came and wanted to do TB testing on the Badgers in the woods with the intention of killing 4, Now please don't get me wrong, I have been a shooter all of my adult life, and if its vermin or a pest I have no problem at all in keeping the numbers down. I asked DEFRA why they had to kill them when they only have to take a blood sample from a Cow (no answer). Anyway they only managed to catch and kill three before one of Bernard Mathews chickens sneezed and they were gone, on a more important mission.
Well now they are back, looking for more of the Badgers.
Now what I am really asking you, is what questions I can put to DEFRA as to why they need to do this, when even on the DEFRA website and any other you can find, that the cull they did in Devon has had no other effect than bring the fox population thought the roof.
By the way, I live on a 1600 acre estate, and I have full right to use it as I please, but I don't own it. we don't keep any cattle and have never had a case of TB.
That's an interesting question. I would personally make sure they tell you exactly why they have to kill the badgers, and if it is really necessary to kill them just to get a sample. If it is just because it's easier, I don't think I'd be too happy about it. I would ask them about the Devon cull too, and ask why it would be different on your estate. If they can't come up with a reasonable answer then again that would make me suspicious.
As a matter of relevance, here is what I remember from an article in 'Farmers Weekly', June edition, written by a Devon farmer -
He said that he had had no TB for 43 years until 2002 when an outbreak coincided with sightings on the farm of very sick badgers. He said they had been also sighted more recently and that DEFRA had declined an invitation to come and look at them, saying it was not their job. He believes that refusal to cull does no favour to the badgers which are very thin and having elongated claws due to not having the strength to forage for food.
It's an interesting point about whether it is actually humane to cull badgers who have TB, but from what I understand it is all badgers in the area that will be culled, not just those with TB?
Why cull badgers with TB?
Why cull cows with TB?
Why not cull humans with TB?
Defra have had years and years of taxpayer's money and like Teagasc (The Irish equivalent) all they have managed to advance in the treatment of TB and foot 'n mouth, in the last 50 years or more is?? Errh??? "Cull 'em!"
Fortunately the Defra vets don't look after human welfare?
Rant over!
I suggest you get in touch with your local badger group. If you don't know who they are, then contact your county wildlife trust.
The badger group will be well informed and able to answer any questions you may have.
Clearly, after all the years that MAFF/DEFRA have been running round chasing their tails and culling badgers willy nilly with no reduction in the level of TB in cattle, they are barking - and up the wrong tree at that.
My old vet - now long retired - used to work for the "ministry" before he decided to go into rural practice. He was very scathing about the way the ministry treated badgers. In his opinion, one of the major causes of the spread of TB was the ripping out of hedgerows and their replacement with fences. This allowed cattle to snuffle each other - which is the ideal way to spread TB - across farm boundaries.
On another note, I've not been posting much in the last month. My wife has been diagnosed with a breast cancer and I've been more concerned about her welfare, but she's now been operated on and things are a little easier. We go tomorrow to the hospital to get the final analysis of what her post-op treatment will be. Hopefully just radiotherapy, not chemo!
Why not cull humans with TB?
Warning -this will be getting close to seriously non-PC, but here goes -
When I was very young I learned at school about 2 diseases which had been completely eradicated in this country - smallpox and TB.
When I was in my late teens, an isolation hospital some miles from my home was re-opened to take in immigrant members of a certain ethnic group, many of whom had TB. The hospital was later dismantled. I have since met older members of that group who remember their spell in that hospital, set in the Yorkshire Dales, as an enjoyable holiday.
It seems that now the official view is not that these people re-introduced TB but that it had always been present.
I have no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the early lesson at school, but I am now confused as regards the possibility of TB having existed all along in badgers/other wild life. And since it is a demonstrable fact that the PC faction is re-writing history, I would not be able to trust any advice on the subject.
Thanks for your comments,
As I understand it, (and I have been looking into it quite closely) The only place in the country where a full cull was carried out was in an area in the west country, and now there seems to be no less cases of TB in cattle where this was done, but a huge increase in the population of Foxes.
Defra are not proposing to do a full cull on our land, they are just taking samples. (another four I understand) Last year they intended to take four Badgers from the same set, and as I have said they only managed to catch three before the Bird Flu case in Norfolk.
Now if I chose to be cynical, I would suggest that the only reason I can see that they would wish to come back and take more from the same set, (when the tests proved negative last year) may have more to do with fulfilling an allocated budget, than testing for TB.
If it had been proven last year that our Badgers were carrying TB, I would have no objection to them doing whatever was necessary to contain it. But this isn't the case, our Badgers were all clear and I can see them most evenings and see for myself that they are very fit and healthy.
There are plenty of arguments from many different parties as to the control of Badgers. Dairy farmers are very keen to have Badgers kept away from there cattle, even though it has been said that it is far more likely that it is the cattle that are spreading TB to the Badgers instead of the other way round, and that the biggest reason for the infection spreading is the fact that cattle are still transported all over the country.
Other farmers who don't keep livestock but may have commercial shoots on their land, don't want the increase in Foxes.
Personally I'm just lost to the point of taking more Badgers from the same set, and I'm considering tainting the traps with paraffin to see how long it will take them to give up.
may have more to do with fulfilling an allocated budget, than testing for TB.
To be even more cynical, perhaps they are purposely taking samples where they know there is no TB in order to prove that there is no point in culling badgers. Perhaps they have instructions from the government to do this. Or is this more paranoia than cynicism?
I wouldn't be surprised at anything, I've just found out today that from last Tuesday to Friday they have supposedly managed to catch three and they are satisfied with that and they have gone.
Now last year when they came, they had the traps in place for two weeks before they even set them, and it took two more weeks to catch three Badgers.
I'm convinced that this is a paper work exercise.
The more I think about it the more possibilities there are, it's fascinating to speculate but I suppose we'll probably never actually know their motives. It does sound a bit like them just fulfilling their quota though.
I agree with you, But knowing the area and knowing how long it took them to catch three last year, I'm sure that whatever they said they haven't got another three in four days.
I'm going to put my cameras back up there at the weekend and check how many are still there. I was up there just standing watching them about a month ago, and counted seven at one time so I will have to see how many are left.
They are easy for me to get close to:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15969382@N06/2756648982/
Great photo, thanks for posting it. It all sounds a bit strange to me but I suppose we'll never really know what they were doing. It'll be interesting to know how many are still there.