In the article Charles Mann highlights how analysis of evidence from the Randomised Badger Culling Trials has shown that badger culling can have an overall beneficial effect on bTB in cattle in England.
Mr Mann writes: “To say there is no scientific evidence to show that culling badgers will have a beneficial effect on reducing bTB in cattle in endemic areas is wrong. There clearly is.
“No one has ever said badger culling alone will solve the problem of bTB. Just like no one has ever said badger culling needs to be carried out across the whole country. But the scientific evidence shows that culling badgers in areas where the disease is endemic can help reduce bTB levels in cattle in those areas.
More...
- From The Ecologist: The scientific case for badger culling - an organic farmer writes
- TB: Our letter to Dominic Dyer
- Anxious TB test wait for NFU Deputy President
- Small decline in bTB 'not acceptable' - NFU
- VIDEOS: Find out what TB means to thousands of British family farms
- TB Free England - get the facts
“Cattle movement controls and cattle testing have an important role to play, badger vaccination could play a role in areas on the edge of the disease spread to stop it spreading further, and cattle vaccination has a role to play once a workable vaccine is available.
“To wipe out bovine TB we need a comprehensive strategy that tackles the disease on all fronts at the same time. Only by doing this will we have the best chance of wiping this disease out and making England TB free.”