Bovine TB Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Adrian Sanders
Main Page: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)Department Debates - View all Adrian Sanders's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(10 years, 1 month ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Paterson
My hon. Friend makes two very pertinent comments. We wish the regime in Wales well, but it simply is not credible to attribute this reduction to the brief period of vaccination in 1.5% of the land area.
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay) (LD)
The IEP report said that the cull trial was ineffective, that it did not reach its target and that it was inhumane. What would the Secretary of State’s definition of failure be?
Mr Paterson
That is a pessimistic interpretation of the IEP report. We are perfectly aware of the difficulty of achieving the numbers in the cull last year, but it was the first year. I remind the hon. Gentleman again that in the RBCT three areas achieved figures of 32%, 37% and 39%. They also got off to a slow start, but in later years they contributed to disease reduction. He wants a definition of success—it is reducing TB, and getting healthy cattle and healthy badgers.