Bovine Tuberculosis Control and Badger Culling
Debate between Andrew George and Irene Campbell(2 weeks, 1 day ago)
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Irene Campbell
I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention but I have to say that I disagree. The evidence is there for the badger cull to end immediately.
Andrew George (St Ives) (LD)
On the effectiveness of culling, the scientific papers often refer to the figure of 56%, but when we dig down into the detail it becomes less clear. There was variation in the testing regimes during the period when the apparent reduction was detected, so it was not clear at all. There is certainly a lot of science out there, but none of it is as clear as the hon. Member for Upper Bann (Carla Lockhart) purports.
Irene Campbell
I note the hon. Gentleman’s comments. I still disagree with what the hon. Lady said.
Bovine TB in cattle can be controlled by cattle measures alone, as predicted by the independent scientific group in 2007. Many are of the view that badgers are not the primary cause of the spread of bovine TB and that culling them is a cruel and ineffective way to tackle the disease. With all the aforementioned evidence, it is only fair to ask the Government to stop issuing new licences for culls and instead focus on non-lethal intervention.