Badger cull plans are inhumane and unscientific, says RSPCA

May make problems of bovine TB worse not better

November 2010: The RSPCA has hit out the latest Government plans for a badger cull in parts of England, describing them as ‘appalling'. The animal welfare charity believes that not only are the measures unlikely to work, they may exacerbate the very problem it is meant to stop - bovine TB. Concerned about a number of welfare issues, the RSPCA has sent a list of questions to ministers to highlight the issues at stake.

Proposals put forward last month could mean the eradication of 70 per cent of the badger population from large areas of the country, yet animal welfare scientists say they could lead to a spread of bovine TB in cattle rather than a reduction.


There are also serious concerns that licensing farmers and/or landowners to free-shoot the animals as suggested would be inhumane and near impossible to monitor.

Public given chance to have their say
A public consultation into whether a badger cull in parts of England should make up a package of measures to control bovine TB in cattle was announced by Defra in mid September. People have been given until December 8 to express their views to the Government.

So far nearly 13,500 people have signed the RSPCA's petition to oppose this cull, and a further 6,214 have written to their MP to express their views.

An RSPCA spokesman said: ‘The society is deeply concerned about the proposals and believes they are based on inconsistent evidence. We have therefore sent Defra a list of 38 questions to clarify the detail behind its plans.

‘The RSPCA fears that the use of free-shooting would cause serious welfare issues. Badgers' anatomy and behaviour makes them harder to shoot in an accurate, humane way than other animals such as foxes, so the risk of wounding instead of killing them, and causing a painful, slow death, is high.'

Cull would be over a large area - and would target at least 70 per cent of animals there

The spokesman added: ‘Defra also says that a cull would have to cover a large area - at least 150km² - and would need to simultaneously target at least 70 per cent of the animals there.

‘However, scientific evidence has shown that culling might actually increase the risks of spreading the disease over a wider area - a process called perturbation. Scientists said that a poorly conducted cull could increase these risks even further.'

Senior RSPCA wildlife scientist Colin Booty said: ‘The details of how the Government proposes to go about this cull are even worse than we imagined. They are relying on so many "ifs" and making assumptions which are not based on evidence.'

Untested method could cause great suffering
‘Defra wants to use an untested method - free shooting, via untested means, licensed farmers - which involves serious risks and could cause great suffering. Large numbers of badgers could be wiped out, many of them healthy, and it is doubtful whether there would be much reduction in bovine TB in cattle as a result.'

The RSPCA agrees that there is a problem with bovine TB but believes a recently-approved TB vaccine for badgers combined with an increased level of cattle testing, improved biosecurity and stricter controls on the movement of cattle, are more sustainable and effective ways of reducing the disease among cattle.

The previous government ruled out a cull in 2008 on the basis of science and the responses to its consultation that revealed a record 95 per cent of respondents were opposed to a cull.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/badger-cull.html