Western Daily Press Badgers are not the problem in TB crisis There have been around a dozen letters and articles on the badger TB problem over the last week or so constituting unbridled claptrap, based on the well-established myth that badgers rather than cattle are the main obstacle to solving the cattle TB crisis and so culls or vaccines are essential to stop the spread of TB. The cull saga is based on the incredibly silly idea prevalent among farmers and vets, that cattle are not the self-sustaining source of ongoing infectious cattle TB. Two key misunderstandings underlie this daft idea, and stem from the Zuckerman 1980, and Dunnet 1986 Reviews. John Tuck reckons I scored an own goal in my letters saying there is no evidence that cattle are infectious early on. Well sorry, but MFadyean who pioneered cattle TB eradication back in the 1890s was aware that cows are infectious before they develop visible lung lesions and before they become TB reactors to the skin test. Key mistakes have meant that farmers and vets have simply misunderstood that TB has simply been spreading via cattle among the cattle population; which is why neither the RBCT cull of 11,000 badgers; nor vaccinating some 4,000 to 5,000 badgers has had the slightest effect on stopping this spread among cattle. So rather amusing that Raymond Scott described Graham Forsyths view that culls were pointless as claptrap and David Camerons endorsing more culls as courageous. David Andrews was saddened that Lorraine Platt and Blue Badger got a whole half page to expound on the wonders of badger vaccines. Defra chief scientist Ian Boyd rightly described Team Badgers stupidity in still pushing mass vaccination as pie in the sky . Both Dr May and ex-MP David Drew as architects of vaccinate not exterminate have recently admitted vaccines wont work. As Ive repeatedly pointed out to Dr May and Team Badger, if they really want to end culls, they ought to very publicly abandon the vaccine idea, hence sending out the clear message that badgers are not the problem. Continuing to push vaccines sends the message badgers are a major problem, so they are in fact ensuring more badger culls. Mr Andrews and others such as J Keirle reckon culls a good idea to stop the badger population explosion from slaughtering bumblebes, hedgehogs, and hordes of nesting avocets... overlooking the simple fact that badgers are a major factor in slaughtering hordes of pest wasps and rabbits. The saddest new light on solving the cattle TB crisis, is the Warwick University model (Nature July 3) which advocates whole herd slaughter for problem herds. That was the answer back in the 1960s but the Irish routinely use a late TB fast blood test, the Chemiluminescent Multiplex ENFER Elisa test to find active spreader culprit cows. So, the biggest obstacle to getting on top of the cattle TB crisis, is the obsession with yet more badger culls and vaccines which will never do the slightest good. And draw attention away from the real problem which has been cattle all along, Martin Hancox Stroud, Gloucestershire Read more: westerndailypress.co.uk/Letters-July-4-Badger-cull-parking-fines-Sir-Mick/story-21327213-detail/story.html#ixzz36f7ROCvE
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 05:13:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015