Devon Badger Group is extremely saddened to hear of the death of a further 33,627 badgers killed across the country last year in the government’s licenced badger culls.
The total number of badgers killed since culls began in 2013 is now over 210,000.
We recognise that bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a devastating disease, causing hardship and distress to farmers and costing the lives of tens of thousands of cattle each year but there is no scientific evidence to show that culling badgers has had any effect on the spread of TB in cattle .
Devon Badger Group has been working with Somerset Badger Group to support farmers by offering badger vaccination as a humane and cost effective alternative to culling and since Somerset Badger Group began in 2012, has successfully vaccinated over 800 badgers so far.
We welcome the government’s recognition that badger vaccination can have a part to play and that it is now supporting badger vaccination initiatives, including offering free badger vaccination to farmers in some post intensively culled areas . Sadly this is too late for the 38,739 badgers killed in Devon since 2016.
It is vital the government continue its commitment to producing a deployable cattle vaccine by 2025 to have any significant impact on the spread of this disease. Until then, more accurate TB testing of cattle, enhanced bio-security measures, stricter cattle movement controls and, in the short term, the vaccination of badgers on a wider scale, would be more effective in controlling the spread of bTB.
Please contact us at devonbadgergroup@gmail.com for more information.
Devon Badger Group - 24/7 helpline 07710 971 988 