After the announcement yesterday to delay the Badger cull, I found myself wondering if this was the worst of all outcomes. On one hand those opposed the cull still have the prospect of a resumed cull to come next year, and those who equally strongly believe a cull is required and essential to their livelihood and the wellbeing of their livestock have to wait longer for the trial culls.
The argument is that the estimates of badger numbers have been revised upwards, meaning the groups preparing to cull the badgers no longer feel they have the resources necessary to cull the 75%-80% of animals required before winter.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a debilitating, highly infectious disease of cattle which is similar to Human TB, and indeed humans can be infected with bTB from infected cattle, and BTb in humans can be fatal (although the routine pasteurisation of milk has reduced incidences of this markedly). Caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, bTb symptoms often start with a hard, dry, short cough (due to lesions or tubercules, in the lungs), which can lead to increasingly painful breathing and more and more coughing. In advanced cases the animal will cough up blood. If the lesions develop in the udder then, over time, it will become solid and hard lumps may be felt. The milk will look normal until the disease is very developed, when it will eventually become watery and bluish in colour.
It can be contracted by coming into contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals, such as sputum generated when the animal coughs.
Hygiene and shed security measures can go a long way to minimize reinfection, but many farmers feel that these measures are insufficient.
Most importantly, in relation to the cull, bTB is found in species other than cattle, including badgers. It can be found in deer, cats, alpacas, horses, sheep and rats as well as badgers.
It has been estimated that bTB has cost the country £91 million during the 20010/11 financial year (http://www.tbfreeengland.co.uk/), which if so is an estimated 44% increase from the previous year.
As it is believed that Badgers make up the most significant reservoir of infection of bTB, and their behaviour often leads them close into farms and farm buildings, there is strong support for a controlled cull amongst farmers and farmers groups. However, many feel that the evidence for the significance of the risk they pose is questionable, and that a cull might actually be counter productive. Certainly if a population of badgers is culled, it can result in whats referred to as the perturbation effect; If their social structure is disrupted my the removal of individuals, badgers will move around which can result in a mobile population of potentially infected animals moving into new areas.
Why can’t we vaccinate Cattle?
Currently the vaccine used would result in ‘false-positive’ tests when the herd is checked for the disease, meaning it’s not possible to be certain whether the herd has cases of bTB, or if the test is picking up the antibodies from the vaccine.
Why can’t we vaccinate Badgers?
Currently the only vaccine available for badgers has to be injected, which would require a capture and release program, and qualified personnel to administer the injections. This could be lengthy, expensive and difficult to coordinate, and as yet there’s no oral vaccine that could be applied to bait and left for badgers to eat. There is also the problem of false positive results if populations of vaccinated badgers are tested.
The implications of culling such an iconic, protected native species means that a cull can’t be taken lightly, and is unlikely to be free from controversy, yet dairy farmers are facing great hardship, and the loss of a herds could force a farmer out of agriculture. Neither group are likely to have felt satisfied with the delay.
What do you think?
Agricultural Curatorial Trainee 
Regardless of the ethics of killing so many badgers, I think the cull doesn’t make economic or scientific sense (16% reduction in bovine TB cases after 9 years). Maybe this just isn’t the right time to correct this problem and we need further technological and scientific advances before we can progress.
I totally agree, with the prospect of an oral vaccine for badgers,and the potential for a more accurate test, and better vaccines for cattle to come, there may be a far better solution in the near future.
I often wonder if that this is a case of the logical errors so typical of the human brain, ‘badgers have bTB, I saw a badger near my cows, now my cows have bTB, therefore it’s the badgers that gave my cows bTB’ (post hoc ergo propter hoc?). Whilst it’s true badgers do have TB and are often accessing areas also accessed by cows, I’m not convinced the evidence is strong enough to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are significant vectors of the disease, or indeed the only vector; i believe rats are pretty ubiquitous and fairly incontinent for example, and I’ve certainly seen deer leap quite tall fences. I know that many people are convinced however, and I imagine the debate will rage on both sides. One thing is certain, many dairy farmers are struggling to remain financially viable, and many will not be able to continue farming long enough to see a satisfactory conclusion to this problem. Farming is not like many jobs, it’s not easy to stop being a farmer, it’s more than a livelihood, it’s a life.
I heard last night that a non binding vote by members of parliament had voted against the government policy on the badger cull, but the cull is still due for next year. Whether it will go ahead, and if it does whether it will have the desired affect remains to be seen.