Stop the badger cull
Latest news
Government announce the cull will go ahead this summer
Despite the overwhelming scientific, public and political opinion against the widespread cull of badgers, the government have announced that the cull will take place this summer in Somerset and Gloucestershire. Dorset has also been announced as a ‘reserve’.
Now is the time for action - please sign the petition and if you've already done it, get 10 friends to sign. Lets make this the biggest Number 10 petition ever to make sure it can’t be ignored!
The Issue
Following years of contentious debate, the Westminster government confirmed that it will go ahead with a pilot badger cull in two areas of England in 2012. The locations of the pilot culls have been announced and culls are planned for the districts of West Somerset and West Gloucestershire.
Scientific consensus does not support a cull of badgers and scientific studies have shown that culling would be of little help in reducing the disease and could actually make things worse in some areas.
The proposals are part of a package of measures aimed at controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle. The RSPCA believes that vaccination, increased levels of testing and improved biosecurity are more effective ways of dealing with the problem in the long term and eradicating bovine TB in cattle for good.
Key facts
- The cull could see badger populations decline by more than 70 per cent and in some areas none may survive.
- Culling cannot be selective so many perfectly healthy badgers will be slaughtered as ‘collateral damage’.
- After 10 years work the Independent Scientific Group concluded in 2007 that ‘badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain.’
- More than 30 of the top animal disease experts describe the cull as a "costly distraction" that risks making the problem of tuberculosis in cattle worse and that will cost far more than it saves.
- Defra‘s own wildlife advisory body, Natural England, who have to implement the government proposals, have said that they have little confidence in them delivering the predicted benefits.
How you can help...
The culls are due to begin in June 2013, it’s now or never for the badgers!
We want to deliver 250,000 voices against the badger cull via the Number 10 petition to ensure that the Government can’t ignore us any longer.
Step 1: Sign the Number 10 petition.
Step 2: Badger your friends and family to sign too!
Step 3: Urge your MP to stand up for badgers and urge Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson urging him to listen to scientific, public and political opinion and shelve this reckless policy in favour of a more sustainable approach!
We need to demonstrate that we will not sit by and allow this war on our wildlife to go ahead unchallenged.
Speaking out against the cull
Scientists and farmers have been speaking out against the badger cull.
Lord Krebs, a respected science adviser to the government, has told the BBC the badger cull plan is a 'crazy scheme'.
Steve Jones has 35 years' livestock management experience and he agrees, shooting badgers isn't the solution to bovine TB. Read more in the Guardian's article: Badger cull: not in this farmer's name.
