Welsh badger cull scrapped in favour of vaccination

Farmers and unions have described the decision not to cull as a betrayal The Welsh government has dropped plans to cull badgers as part of an attempt to wipe out bovine TB in cattle. Environment Minister John Griffiths said he had instead opted to vaccinate the animals after carefully considering the scientific evidence. A review [...]

Advisers warned government on badger cull

UK badger culling plans could kill tens of thousands of the animals, worsen the cattle tuberculosis problem, and put the country in breach of a European wildlife treaty, advisers have warned. The government is to allow culling in England to curb cattle TB, with a similar move possible in Wales. The Labour Party used Freedom [...]

Badger Trust ‘very disappointed’ over cull decision

The Badger Trust has been advised by Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for the Environment, that she has decided to proceed with the two pilot culls to determine the efficacy and humaneness of the free-shooting of badgers. Her statement was expected on 15th December but was made after Prime Minister’s Question Time today, Wednesday 14th [...]

Ministers spent £400,000 to draw up badger cull plans

Drawing up proposals for a badger cull has cost taxpayers more than £400,000 as ministers attempt to avoid a legal challenge from animal welfare groups, it has emerged. Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has said she is “strongly minded” to sanction a targeted cull as part of a range of measures to combat tuberculosis (TB) in [...]

Tory fringe meeting disrupted

A Fringe Event at the Conservative Party Conference was disrupted by a two hunt saboteurs. The Reception was held by the National Farmers Union was held at the Palace Hotel In Manchester. Peter Kendall (director of the NFU) was on the panel as well as James Paice MP, Lord Taylor, Richard Benyon, and Mark Spencer. [...]

Can the Cull

What do you do when you need to make an important decision? Most people look at the facts available and base their decision on them. That’s why it’s all more the shocking that the Tories and Liberal Democrats have decided to proceed with the culling of badgers – against both the scientific evidence and the [...]

Labour launch campaign against badger cull in England

Labour have launched a campaign against a proposed cull of badgers in England to curb tuberculosis in cattle. The government – backed by its senior scientific advisors – is in favour of a cull to stop badgers spreading the disease to cattle. But opponents say its preferred method – shooting – could actually make the [...]

PR from The Badger Trust – BBC Challenged Over Badger Gassing Admission

The Badger Trust is demanding a criminal investigation of a farmer who stood by while others gassed badgers with the exhaust of an “old petrol engine”. The Report (BBC Radio 4, 8 pm, August 4) said the BBC had evidence that some were willing to take the law into their own hands and were gassing [...]

My homage to the ‘good old gamekeeper’

With the grouse season about to start on the 12th August and the pheasant season starting on 1st October I thought I would put a few articles up all about the ‘good old gamekeeper‘. Former Holkham Estate gamekeeper given conditional discharge Derbyshire gamekeeper guilty of trapping birds of prey Gamekeeper fined for wilfully killing badger Gamekeeper fined [...]

Help stop the badger cull

The results are in. 87% of us think that we should work together to stop the government’s plan to shoot thousands of badgers next spring. [1] The government is consulting on their plans now until Sept 20th. [2] That means we could have just six weeks to push them to cancel the badger cull plan. [...]