Bovine TB: Ministers must act on cull
MINISTERS must rethink the decision to rule out a badger cull in the fight against TB in cattle, the Government's top rural adviser has said.
Stuart Burgess, chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities, has told the Western Morning News: "There may have to be a tough decision made earlier rather than later."
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While stopping short of an outright call for a cull, he said the refusal by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn to approve such a move "will have to be revisited".
As Number 10's rural advocate, Mr Burgess has worked closely with both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown on a number of animal welfare issues, most notably the Government's response to the foot-and-mouth outbreaks. His comments echo those of former Labour farming minister Jane Kennedy, who said Mr Benn should "keep the door open" to a cull in the worst-affected areas.
The Government has instead ploughed ahead with a plan to vaccinate badgers – including in trial areas in Devon – to stem the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, the Welsh Assembly has ordered a cull of badgers.
Mr Burgess said the situation in the Westcountry was now "critical" and tackling the problem "one of the most difficult tasks that Defra have".
In the first eight months of 2009, one in five farms in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall were placed under restrictions as a result of a TB incident. There were more than 600 confirmed new outbreaks.
Ahead of a visit to the region next month to discuss the issue, Mr Burgess said the "majority" of farmers he met were in favour of a cull.
But politicians were reluctant to go against public opinion which was influenced by the image of the animal portrayed in "Wind in the Willows", he added: "It's a difficult decision about whether you cull badgers. You can argue both ways about the scientific evidence.
"I think Defra and Hilary Benn are really waiting to see what happens in Wales, in that culling policy, to see whether they rethink a strategy.
"You have to weigh up all these facts – the emotive thing of killing badgers against all the damage the disease is doing and the compensation."
Mr Burgess said his brother-in-law's farm in Warwickshire had been closed after TB was discovered, with "devastating" effects.
He said: "I can quite understand because many farmers, though not all, don't like the policy Hilary Benn has come out with. I think there may have to be a tough decision made earlier rather than later, in terms of there has to be a balancing act. If TB really is becoming rampant all the way through the country and a lot of herds of cattle, there has to be a turning point. I don't know how far that has reached so far.
"There will come a time, I am pretty sure, when the whole subject will have to be revisited. When I really don't know."
Earlier this year, the National Audit Office claimed ministers had failed to tackle the "significant" threat posed to farmers by the spread of TB. The Government worked well to tackle other diseases like bird flu and foot-and-mouth but bovine TB continued to spread, it said.
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by A.Watson, Truro
Monday, January 04 2010, 5:45PM
“My family and I were considering a holiday in Wales, but decided against it after hearing about the Welsh cull plans. Perhaps a cull here might adversely affect the Cornish tourism industry. Badgers are popular and not responsible for bovine T.B..”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Monday, January 04 2010, 3:15PM
“:| Now you are just being petulant aren't you TimV. . And this is not the first I have acknowledged any of your points. . There is much more I could say, but I have been asked not to. . Many farmers are still very unhappy about the compensation when their life's work has been destroyed. . Cattle with clinical disease always have to be incinerated. . Most people are being told the reactors can spread the disease and will be horrified to know that most are now going straight back into the food chain. . knowing how Defra works is not the same as knowing anything about the disease. . The bacterium can live for an extraordinary length of time on a dead carcass but it is quickly destroyed by any cooking.
Quote:- "As I have previously stated, a positive reaction to the test only indicates anti bodies." . I'm afraid not Tim it just detects a T-cell reaction that could have come from any of a large number of organisms. . It's a total OVER KILL that exemplifies the incompetence of both Defra and the Government in their refusal to cull any badgers.”
by TimV, Pz
Monday, January 04 2010, 2:24PM
“Well! Well! Well! I may have not have got a new year gong but I have received a far rarer thing - an acceptance from CH that I might know a little about the topics I comment on ocassionally. Accolade indeed! By definition, he didn't have the good grace to acknowledge that his previous information on incineration (i.e. total loss) and inadequate compensation, was most misleading to those not as well informed. Maybe he just got TB mixed up in his mind with BSE, anthrax or Foot in Mouth. Keep up the good work me ole mucker.”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Monday, January 04 2010, 8:45AM
“:| We are told cattle are being slaughtered to prevent infection of other cattle by respiratory droplet infection. . But as TimV pointed out, the majority are going straight into the food chain and are perfectly healthy. . Any lesions found are mainly in the udders in dairy cattle and never go into the food chain anyway, or the throat, implying that ingestion is now the main cause of infection. . Up to 300,000 Mycobacterium bovis bacilli have been measured in a single millilitre of badger urine. . If these cattle are supposed to be infectious, (which clearly they are not), then why aren't they just testing their urine and faeces?. . There will have to be a badger cull.”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Sunday, January 03 2010, 8:57PM
“:| TimV is right, all bTB reactors are delivered alive to the slaughterhouse, except those that have had medication or other reason making them unsuitable for consumption or travel; they are then slaughtered on farm and taken for post-mortem then incineration. . . It has been found that the vast majority have no evidence of bTB or any lesions and they do indeed go for consumption, but any they do find with lesions that they consider unsafe go to the 'bin' and should be incinerated. . The compensation has always been controversial, a few do 'well', and others badly, but nothing makes up for a farm being closed down for 6 months or sometimes a lot longer and all the stress involved.
Causing the main problem now has been the Gamma Interferon blood test, that involves incubating blood samples with proteins unique to TB and then measuring whether T- cells in the blood secrete microbe-fighting gamma interferon ; which should occur if the animal has previously been exposed to Mycobacterium. . It is this test that is notoriously unreliable and far less specific than the skin test. . My reaction for Theo was because he seemed to believe there was no loss. . My understanding is that cattle entering the food chain by this means do not do do at the normal market price.”
by TimV, Pz
Sunday, January 03 2010, 6:43PM
“Perhaps I should just add that the figures I quoted were for the beef sector. Dairy cows get less and pedigree herds get far more. All compensation is based on current free market prices.”
by TimV, Pz
Sunday, January 03 2010, 6:35PM
“I fear poor old Charles Henry is so far up on his high horse to have lost contact with reality! The facts are that all reactor cattle go to the slaughterhouse. None as far as I know are incinerated. (No doubt CH will give us the figures if I'm wrong) As I have previously stated, a positive reaction to the test only indicates anti bodies. This does NOT mean the animal is suffering from the disease. When they get to the slaughterhouse they are treated identically to all other animals and inspected according to established principles, essentially by incising lymph nodes, and checking organs. I do not have to hand the exact figure of the proportion that are then shown to have TB but I believe it is tiny. Only if evidence of disease is discovered is the carcase rejected for human consumption, when as far as I am aware, it is treated in the same way as all other rejected meat. This as far as I am aware, does not include incineration but I could be wrong on this small point as I have been away from professional involement for some time. However in all other cases the meat will be passed to retail butchers in the normal way. As regard to compensation, this is provided by the tax-payer via DEFRA. Again CH is wrong. Compensation is paid on a sliding scale depending on age and sex and currently varies from £186 to £1,021 which is pretty much market value. I hope this clarifies.”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Sunday, January 03 2010, 10:06AM
“:| Link to Arthur Duckett and 'The Field Marshall'. Britain's largest Bullock.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090895/Pictured-Field-Marshall-biggest-bull-Britain-stands-6ft-5ins-tall-weighs-BMW.html”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Sunday, January 03 2010, 10:01AM
“:| Theo any cattle found with lesions after compulsory slaughter are normally incinerated. . Compensation paid to farmers rarely covers the value of the animals, especially with pedigree animals. . And it in no way makes up for the stress and the damage it causes their farming businesses. . I have tried to explain that TimV may be a very nice chap, but he really doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to farming and bTB. . Arthur Duckett who was featured in the paper recently, aged 80, owner of Field Marshall, Britain's largest bullock. . Is the man to talk to about fallen livestock incineration. That is his business. . Best Charles
After 3 w's
.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090895/Pictured-Field-Marshall-biggest-bull-Britain-stands-6ft-5ins-tall-weighs-BMW.html
I'm going to post a separate link.”
by Theo Hopkins, Lifton
Saturday, January 02 2010, 9:48PM
“@ TimV
You say the meat of culled bTB cows is not wasted.
Can you expand on this?
How does it enter the food chain?
Does this throw questions up when the NFU talk about the cost to the public of culling cattle?
Is the compensation paid to farmers recovered by the taxpayer.
Thanks in anticipation,
Theo H”