Campaign to Stop the Cull
There was public outrage last year when the government would not rule out gassing as a way to kill badgers. Following the failed pilot culls Defra confirmed that it had commissioned ‘desk research’ into this method of killing badgers. It has now been revealed through a Freedom of Information request from our friends at Humane Society International, that this threat has become even more real.
The government has now started field trials into the gassing of badger setts although no badgers or other animals have yet been involved in the tests.
The gassing of badgers was rightly banned nearly three decades ago in England. We are determined that the failure of the pilot culls must not be used as an excuse to use cruel methods of killing badgers in order to meet targets.
Take urgent action for badgers now!
The previous toxin used was cyanogen. This trial is on carbon monoxide, which is a great deal kinder as toxic gases go (and indeed it is the only option, with HCN and methyl bromide banned). As far as I know, the first carbon monoxide trials were done over thirty years ago, and DEFRA has extensive documentation on how to generate carbon monoxide, and how it works, so if you happen to own a V8 petrol Range Rover then a man from the ministry may soon make you a very decent offer on it.
ReplyDeleteAs to the options, we have very few. Ignoring the problem of zoonotic tuberculosis doesn't work; we've been trying this for the past fifteen years and the disease has spread through the badger population like wildfire. It isn't spreading in cattle very much, since we're culling all infected herds as they are detected, which is the only thing stopping the EU declaring TB endemic in Britain. Were this to happen, cattle and milk exports would be banned and the mainly Tory-voting rural areas would look for a more responsible government. Ask yourselves this: Do I really want to live under a UKIP-majority government?
I reckon not. UKIP aren't experienced in running things, but if you force Tory voters to conclude that their government is bonkers, then where else will they go?
Vaccination trials done by DEFRA on wild badgers demonstrated that even large doses of BCG do not stop wild-type bovine TB from infecting most badgers, but merely slow the disease and delay the eventual death of the badger. Depending on how the disease works, vaccinating badgers may even make them more efficient disease spreaders, as an infected animal lives longer. Wales is currently trying to vaccinate an already-infected population of badgers, whilst immunologists are taking the time to point and giggle (from upwind, usually).
Shooting badgers is cruel and inefficient, although anecdotal evidence seems to show that farmers are now illegally shooting badgers on a large scale in desperation at government inadequacy; illegal Cymag is also being used like this. Such is what happens when government is seen to be utterly out of touch.
Past experimentation has shown that if you want rid of zoonotic tuberculosis, you kill off the infected wildlife in the area. This brings us back to gas, which is the only sane method when your pest helpfully hides in an enclosed burrow all day long.
The bottom line is this: some badgers carry zoonotic tuberculosis. Killing these off is the only way currently known of getting rid of tuberculosis from the environment, and the EU is currently forcing the UK government to grow a pair and do something useful about this problem regardless of public opinion. So, come 2016 we can expect wholesale gassing of badgers.