NFU statement on Gloucestershire Police webcast
The NFU has issued a statement following last night’s webcast in which Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl questioned the Chief Constable and other senior officers about the policing of last year’s badger cull.
The NFU has issued a statement following last night’s webcast in which Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl questioned the Chief Constable and other senior officers about the policing of last year’s badger cull.
NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said: “As a membership organisation, the NFU carefully considered all the legal options available to us to help protect farmers and landowners from harassment and intimidation by people opposed to the cull.
“Any suggestion that the injunction obtained by the NFU was of no value is absolutely wrong. We’re confident the injunction had a significant deterrent effect in stopping people taking part in illegal activity by making them aware that legal action could be taken against them if they breached its terms. We are currently considering the options available to us in terms of enforcement of the injunction.
“Farmers and landowners in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset were subjected to threats, harassment and intimidation – they were spied on, filmed, received abusive letters, threatening phone calls through the night, and were verbally abused by strangers at their own homes.
“Contractors experienced high levels of harassment and intimidation. Understandably, many did not want their names to become known. Even with promises of anonymity, many didn’t feel confident that their names wouldn’t become public and they wouldn’t become the target of further intimidation.
“The pilot badger cull was a lawful and legal activity that was carried out as part of a government policy to control and eradicate bovine TB. If the people trying to carry out this operation had been allowed to carry out their work without harassment and intimidation policing costs would have been significantly lower than they were. The policing costs were entirely down to the threat to disrupt this lawful activity and the actions taken by those people determined to do so.
“While I understand the police did not want to take sides on the issue of badger culling, it is not an option for a Police and Crime Commissioner, or the police themselves, to remain neutral between lawful and illegal activity.”
