Bovine TB
Bovine tuberculosis controls specific to cattle in Wales could soon apply to camelids, goats and deer.
The Welsh Assembly Government has launched a consultation on a draft legislative order to control TB in these three species.
It means that alpacas, guanacos, llamas and vicunas as well as goats and deer will be subject to controls similar to those on cattle and compensation will be paid to owners if they have to be slaughtered. But these new controls will not include a regular bovine TB testing regime nor a requirement for TB pre-movement testing.
Wales’ rural affairs minister Elin Jones said camelids, goats and deer were as susceptible to catching TB as cattle and badgers and controls had to be put in place if the disease was to be eradicated in Wales.
“This draft order aims to put the prevention and management of incidents of bovine TB in camelids, goats and deer on a similar footing to the arrangements already in place for cattle,” she said.
“It would introduce controls to prevent the spread of disease and for compensation when these animals are slaughtered due to bovine TB.”
For owners who comply with the relevant controls, compensation of £1500 would be paid for female alpacas or stud alpacas and £750 for other alpacas, guanacos, llamas or vicunas, while deer would attract a compensation payment of £400 and goats £100.
The Welsh Assembly Government introduced legislation in 2008 that created specific powers for inspectors to enter land and to obtain a warrant to test non-bovine animals for disease.
Launching the consultation, Ms Jones stressed how quickly bovine TB advances in infected camelids. “They show very little in the way of physical signs before it reaches an advanced stage and it causes a painful death,” she said.
“This is distressing for owners and for the animal. Bovine TB is a horrible disease, which is why we are committed to eradicating it from Wales.”
The consultation on the draft order runs for 12 weeks. The consultation document and information on how to respond is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
Badgers and Bovine TB.
The Welsh Assembly Government has a policy within its cattle TB eradication programme, of culling badgers. We are opposed to this policy and are campaigning to bring it to an end.
Unfortunately bTB continues to be a problem for the cattle industry in Wales and the UK. BWRD believe the badger’s role in the disease has been greatly exaggerated especially in the light of recent research. However, the Welsh Assembly Government has a decided on a cull of badgers as part of their bTB eradication scheme. This is particularly difficult to understand, as badger vaccination is available in England in May 2010. BWRD felt it’s members and the public needed more information about this difficult topic and to this end released a leaflet in April 2009 explaining the situation along with advice on how to stop the badger cull – see below:
FAQ’s about Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) that show why a cull of badgers does not make sense.
1.What is Bovine TB? It is a contagious disease that affects cattle. Many other mammals including moles, cats, dogs, rats, deer, sheep, pigs, and badgers are susceptible to the disease to varying degrees. Pasteurisation and meat inspection have removed the risk to human health.
2.How common is the disease in the UK? In the 1930’s 40% of dairy cows slaughtered were bTB infected. The government introduced the attested herd scheme and by 1971, with cattle measures alone it was reduced to approx 0.038%.3 In the 1970’s the focus moved away from cattle. Thousands of badgers were inhumanely gassed. Since then the incidence of bTB has risen again.
3.Why has the badger been singled out for culling? Historical prejudice and ignorance have played their part. Badgers have been made a scapegoat by people looking for what they think will be an easy solution.
4.Is there a vaccine? An inject-able vaccine will be available for badgers soon. In 2010 it will be used to inoculate badgers in England. An oral vaccine for badgers and a suitable vaccine for cattle will also soon be available.
5.Has a badger cull worked in another country? In the Republic of Ireland, the latest badger cull has been in operation for over 4 years. 60,000 badgers have been killed and according to their Min of Ag’s figures bTB in cattle actually increased.1 In roughly the same period, Northern Ireland, with no cull, has reduced bTB by 50% with cattle based measures alone.
6.How are live cattle tested for bTB? At present the ‘skin test’ is used but is notoriously unreliable. Often an infected cow tests negative and lives on to infect other cattle. Gamma Interferon is far more accurate but not generally used.
7.How does bTB compare in frequency to other cattle diseases?
In 2007 for example, 21.3% of cattle were killed prematurely because of, ‘mastitis, infertility and lameness.’ Infectious diseases, including bTB account for only 1.67%.2 Farmers received compensation for cattle lost to bTB even if they hadn’t complied with the testing and movement rules.
8.How does bTB spread? Almost exclusively from ‘cattle to cattle’. Lack of effective livestock movement regulations means transporting live cattle can spread bTB and other serious diseases great distances at alarming rates. Markets, farm sales, bull hire, shows, etc, all contribute. Bio-security advice is often ignored. Herd to herd contact through inadequate fencing is common. Stress, over exploitation and poor general health make cows very vulnerable to infection. This has all been well documented.3
9.Has it ever been proved that badgers can give bTB to cows on a farm? No. It has never been proved conclusively. Experiments conducted suggest it would be a rare occurrence for badgers to give cows bTB in a farm situation. 4
10.Has there ever been a scientific trial to see if culling badgers makes any difference? The ISG carried out a 9 year trial in the UK that culled 11,000 badgers and cost 35 million pounds of tax payers money. In his final report, Professor F.J. Bourne stated ‘Badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain.’ He also said ‘Scientific findings indicate that the rising incidence of disease can be reversed and geographical spread contained, by the rigid application of cattle based control measures
alone.’
What will happen if this Badger cull goes ahead?
The cull is to take place alongside cattle based measures. In time the incidence of bTB may reduce. The Welsh Assembly Government will then say the badger cull is working and continue. No one will know which measure was effective but no doubt the cull will be cited as the main contributor and many more badgers will die.
Taxpayer’s money, which could be better, spent on vital services will be squandered on this pointless exercise.
It will give the green light to all those criminal individuals who wish to harm badgers. Snaring, gassing and shooting could get out of control. Live- trapped badgers could find their way into the hands of badger baiters.
The vital tourist industry in Wales could be adversely affected. Who wants to have a holiday in the countryside where the slaughter of a much-loved animal is taking place?
A boycott of Welsh farm products could severely affect an already difficult financial market.
Culling badgers will disrupt whole eco-systems and this could have unpredictable and serious consequences for wildlife and farming.
The pleasure that people gain from seeing badgers and just knowing that they are there cannot be underestimated. Many landowners will refuse to co-operate with the cull of badgers on their land. This will create strife in the rural community and damage the image of farming in Wales. Vaccination would unite people and ensure co-operation thus saving considerable expense in policing a cull.
HOW TO STOP THE BADGER CULL:
Write to Elin Jones AM at
Welsh Assembly Government,
Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.
or
32, Pier St, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 2LN.
Join
Badger Watch and Rescue Dyfed,
Contact:
Gordon Lumby 01570 480571 (Lampeter)
Michael Sharratt 01994 240320 (Whitland)
www.badger-watch.co.uk
The Badger Trust,
PO Box 708,
East Grinstead, RH19 2WN.
Sign
The anti-cull petition run by the RSPCA.
Go to www.rspca.org.uk and click on Campaigns and select Badgers. Don’t forget to recommend a friend.
Support
Secret World Wildlife Rescue.
www.blackandwhite.info
Issued 9th April 2009
Badger Watch and Rescue Dyfed 2009
Elin Jones AM (Plaid Cymru) and the Welsh Assembly Government are going to kill possibly thousands of badgers in Wales over 5 years in the misguided belief that it will eradicate Bovine TB. We cannot allow such a shameful assault on the wildlife in our countryside. This cull will take place at a time when the scientific community has made it clear that this action will serve no useful purpose. Are the lives of our badgers to be sacrificed to entice certain members of the farming industry to comply with cattle based measures that are proven to combat bTB and other contagious diseases?
INOCULATION NOT ANNIHILATION! To cull a badger you have to trap it in a cage and shoot it. While it is in the cage why not vaccinate it instead? The badger goes free and there is no carcass for costly disposal.
Poor old Brock,
He’s in the dock,
For something he didn’t do.
They say he gave some cows TB,
And it simply isn’t true.
He looked for worms,
To eat for lunch,
In pasture fresh and green.
The grazing cows avoided him,
But near by he’d been seen.
One heifer spied,
Newly bought cows
From the farm, next door.
Their noses touched, over the fence,
She caught TB for sure.
But Farmer Jones
Saw none of that,
He just saw Bill Brock there.
And when his cows all got TB,
He went completely spare.
Poor old Brock,
He’s in the dock,
For something he didn’t do.
They say he gave some cows TB,
And it simply isn’t true.