No one in their right mind would countenance setting up controls for a serious zoonotic disease without also including in the measures a specific programme for eliminating disease reservoirs in the wildlife population.

However, when - as is the case – we are talking about badgers, sense goes out of the window. Emotion, ignorance and sheer blind prejudice take over. Add to that a bunch of windy, ill-informed MPs, and you then have a debate where the vote goes against the government by 147 votes to 28.

That, of course, puts newly-appointed environment Owen Paterson rather on the spot. He actually has no choice. Bovine TB is a serious public health threat, the disease in epidemic in cattle and in badgers, and effective control measures must be taken or we risk having international markets closed to our beef and dairy products – at a cost of about £2 billion a year in lost exports.

View full article here

You see, for far too long the paradox of the urban eco-warrior, suburban armchair 'experts', grey haired very ex pop stars have dominated all debate, why does no one argue the case for our farmers?


Leaving aside the badgers and important though it is, Paterson is in the sights of the green bunny huggers for other reasons, the polar bear huggers are the same ilk - Paterson is very anti greenie hysterics pertaining to climate catastrophe mania.

What is needed, is a programme on badgers informing folk about just what nasty little buggers badgers can be, because if Wind in the Willows is your starting point - then, there is no arguing the case. There has to be compromise and ultimately some sort of thinning out - for badgers sakes and for the farmers of the nation - who do a rather important job.

Like the Communists did before them, the greenies have infiltrated the ministries of state, which means that the subversion comes from within. Thus, the programme was mishandled from the very start - deliberately so. First, then, there is the battle to regain control of Defra.

Do EU badgers not get TB??

This would be the same DEFRA that killed thousands of fit animals illegally during the foot and mouth crisis. Oh yes, when someone noticed a Bill was rushed through to make it legal....that's right, a Bill "rushed" through parliament.

Under the old policy which stopped in the 80's a high point was reached in 1986 when only 638 cattle were slaughtered for bovine TB. Up to then badgers were culled in a clean ring policy until the badgers were clean. This first shifted to only contiguous culls then the culling was abandoned all together. Attached is a link to the excellent bovine tb blog.
http://bovinetb.blogspot...tells-1000-words_20.html

This topic clearly screams out for a "Badger, badger, mushroom" link:
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgers