Shropshire farmers have seen an explosion in new cases of bovine tuberculosis over the last seven years, shock figures revealed today.
Last year there were 149 incidents of bovine TB reported in the county, according to Government figures. This compares to just 39 in 2000 and is a huge increase of more than 280 per cent.
The figures have come to light following a parliamentary question tabled by Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski.
The Conservative, who is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Dairy Group, said the results were “startling”.
“This is not a sign that the Government’s current policy is working,” he said.
“Furthermore it is of great concern that over these last six years the incidents have increased so dramatically.
“This cannot be due to farmers alone, as they are complying with the strict Defra regulations. A solution has to be sought, and soon, that is more than just further regulations on the cattle industry.
“As a result I will be renewing my lobbying of the Government for urgent action.”
A recent report by the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) concluded that a cull of badgers, blamed by many farmers for spreading the disease, would not be cost-effective.
Oliver Cartwright, NFU regional public relations officer for the West Midlands, agreed the problem was getting worse.
He said: “Bovine tuberculosis is a ballooning problem and it’s spreading throughout Shropshire and heading to other areas as well.
Controlling cattle alone is not enough. We are in favour of some sort of responsible wildlife cull and were very disappointed with the ISG report as culling has been successful in just about every other country in the world.
“The cattle control measures alone are not doing the job and this appears to be backed up by the new figures.”
By Tom Warren
7 Comments
Once again we have the myth that badgers cause cattle TB despite all the evidence to the contary. I have a family of badgers in my garden and just outside it, anyone touches those at their peril.
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take a closer look at the flies and mosquitoes.they could be carriers.
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Mr Kawczynski should not be startled by the dramatic rise in bovine TB. It is exactly the same as that found in neighbouring counties and elsewhere in Britain. It follows restocking by farmers in the wake of Foot and Mouth Disease. Against the advice of scientists but under pressure from the NFU, the Government permitted the movement of tens of thousands of untested cattle in late 2001 and throughout 2002, spreading TB all over Britain. This is entirely the fault of farmers, not badgers. The Independent Scientific Group, whose final report Mr Kawczynski should have read, advised in June 2007 that badger culling can make “no meaningful contribution” to TB control. Instead, it recommends better cattle testing and movement controls, which the Government itself acknowledges are currently not adequate to prevent the spread of TB between cattle. Mr Kawczynski’s colleague, shadow environment minister James Paice, states the Government: “should get on and accept the recommendations of the report regarding cattle measures and just consult on the detail of how to implement them”. He also says: “There will be expense and inconvenience to farmers, but you can’t expect government to shoulder it all.” Presumably, in the interests of the tax payer, Mr Kawczynski agrees?
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How can anyone take the report seriously as independent when they were told a wholescale badger cull was not an option.
In Ireland a cull has been very succesfull.
42% of all dead badgers test positive for t.b.!!
The lack of guts by this government is going to ruin the livestock industry in this country.
This government needs to stop listening to minority welfare groups and face up to this terrible disease.
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Stuart Jones argues that a badger cull has been “very successful” in Ireland. On the contrary, twice the proportion of Ireland’s national herd has TB compared to Britain’s.
TB rose by 166 per cent, to the highest level ever recorded, between 1996 and 1999 whilst the Irish Government continued its 20-year policy of slaughtering badgers with cruel snares during that period. The sharp increase followed Ireland’s decision to abandon pre-movement testing for cattle. Ireland’s Ministers have refused to re-start pre-movement testing, despite being advised to do so by Ireland’s state veterinary service and experts at the European Commission.
The recent reductions in TB in Ireland have only occurred following the introduction of tougher controls on cattle, such as gamma interferon testing, and can also be seen in Northern Ireland where badgers are not being culled.
The high levels of TB in Irish badgers are hardly surprising: cattle give TB to badgers so more TB in cattle equals more TB in badgers. Furthermore, culling encourages the spread of TB amongst badgers (which is why badger culling doesn’t help).
Far from being a “minority” welfare group, the Badger Trust’s position is supported by scientists, by Britain’s largest landowning conservation charities (National Trust, Woodland Trust, RSPB etc) and in the Government’s consultation 96 per cent of people opposed badger culling.
As James Paice MP put it: “Farmers need to understand that any government making a decision on badgers needs to take account of public opinion.”
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Mr.Lawson of the badger trust should realise that badgers do give t.b. to cattle.
My farm has been mainly closed for some years,if we buy in any cattle they are pre-movement tested at the farmers expense to make sure they do not bring t.b. onto the farm.
My farm had it’s 1st. case of t.b. for 51 years this year and the evidence is overwhelming that it is being spread all over the Rea Valley area.
This and the massive explosion in the badger population in the area cannot just be a coincidence.
When the ministry vet visited us our case and nearly all others in the area are registered as wildlife contamination i.e. BADGERS!!!!!!!!!
We are told to fence stock away from setts. stop badgers getting into feed stores,silage pits cow sheds etc. So I guess it’s fairly clear what the root cause is.
There are far too many badgers in the countryside anyway and seeing diseased ones is awful.
There needs to be a major reduction in my opinion because it is causing untold misery to people like me who see their wonderful livestock slaughtered and lose out massively financially for what could easily be eradicated as my grand-fathers generation managed to do.
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Sentimental and nostalgic. Great.
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