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Time to focus on what works – wildlife charity makes plea to farmers as btb rates continue to fall

The number of cattle slaughtered because of bovine TB (bTB) in Britain so far this year has fallen by over 7% on last year – with the drop coming BEFORE the badger cull started.

 

The number of cattle slaughtered because of bovine TB (bTB) in Britain so far this year has fallen by over 7% on last year – with the drop coming BEFORE the badger cull started.

There has also been a reduction of over 5% in new herd incidents, suggesting that measures other than culling, such as increased biosecurity and tighter cattle movement controls, are having the desired impact.

Dominic Dyer, Policy Advisor for Care for the Wild, said: “This is news to celebrate, so we hope that farmers and the government will accept these figures for what they are: a clear sign that we can fight this disease without killing badgers.”

btb rates chart

While Defra’s guidance note highlight the fact that small differences can be misleading, their own chart showing the provisional trend in incidences shows a definite and continual drop since mid-2011:

“Farmers have been improving practices, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes enforced by EU legislation,” said Dominic Dyer. “Either way, the picture is clear – something is working. So this is not the time to be fighting a battle with badgers, with public opinion, with science or with compassion. It is time to resolve our differences and focus on effective, modern and humane methods of beating this terrible disease.”

Care for the Wild is a charity based in Sussex dedicated to the protection of wildlife in the UK and abroad. For more information or if you would like to support our work, see www.careforthewild.com.

 

Figures from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/incidence-of-tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain

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