Back Off Badgers!

A BBC poll has today revealed that the UK public is opposed to the much-debated badger cull.

You lovely people - both young and old, men and women, living in both towns and the countryside - have voiced your anger at the Government’s plans to introduce a badger cull in England.

2/3 (63%) of people asked in a telephone poll said they were against the cull which the Government says could prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle.

However, the RSPCA has long voiced its opinions that a cull is not an effective way combat the spread of the disease. We believe that vaccination, increased levels of testing, improved biosecurity and stricter controls on the movement of cattle are more sustainable ways of reducing the risk.

The RSPCA has spent years campaigning against the cull. More than 40,000 people objected to the plans following our Back Off Badgers campaign which voiced our opposition to the cull in England. In addition, we received hundreds of postcards and text messages from people voicing their support for England’s badgers.

A cull could actually rid some areas of up to 70% of their badger population, which would be heartbreaking. It may also fail to reduce the problem anyway.

The Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB (ISG) examined the science behind a badger cull. Its report in 2007 concluded that killing badgers could actually increase the spread of bTB, making matters worse rather than better. 

The report is here - http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/isg/report/final_report.pdf

A cull is simply not the answer to reduce the rate of bovine TB in cattle. Yes, something needs to be done but plans need to be well thought out to make sure they are effective in the long term to protect the welfare of all animals.

The full BBC story is here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13684482

More info on what the RSPCA is doing about the issue is on our website -  http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaigns/badgers