TB 'greatest threat to our beef industry' as Truss pledges to continue with cull

A future Conservative government would continue with the badger cull as Environment Secretary Liz Truss spoke at the National Farmers' Union Conference.

"We will not let up, whatever complaints we get from protesters groups. We are in it for the long haul and we will not walk away," she said.

"Bovine TB is the greatest threat to our beef and dairy industry, endangering our food security. That’s why this Government…will take the difficult decisions to deal with this disease.

"Our twenty five year strategy includes cattle movement controls, vaccination in the edge area and culling where the disease is rife. This strategy has worked in Australia and it’s working in New Zealand and Ireland. And I am grateful to the NFU for their help on the strategy and on our TB Expert Advisory Group."

Humane Society International said the badger culls had been 'very expensive, cruel and ineffective'.

"Liz Truss cuts an increasingly lonely figure in continuing to defend it," said Claire Bass, Human Society International's Executive Director.

"Almost unanimous scientific opinion describes the cull as a failure, including Sir David Attenborough, Lord Krebs and even the Chair of Natural England's Scientific Advisory Committee. This cull fails our wildlife by subjecting badgers to inhumane shooting; it fails farmers by promising a solution to TB that simply doesn’t work; and it fails the public by wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money. The rational, scientific and apolitical solution to bovine TB is happening right now in Wales: a combination of badger vaccination, improved farm biosecurity and stricter cattle movement measures. With the election just weeks away the government has a short window of opportunity to reverse this disastrous strategy, and win back some public trust in its countryside policies.”

Truss told the NFU conference she believed that bovine TB is ‘the greatest threat to our beef and dairy industry’ and ‘That’s why this Government, and any future Conservative Government, will take the difficult decisions to deal with this disease.’

Support for the controversial badger cull appears to be faltering among veterinarians who believe it should not continue without further independent analysis.

A cull target of 615 badgers in Gloucestershire and 316 in Somerset was given, but the Humane Society International claims 253 badgers have been killed in Gloucestershire, 362 animals short of the minimum kill target of 615.

An expert panel said the controlled shooting was 'not effective'.

John Blackwell, BVA president, said: “It is no secret that some of our members are frustrated by the lack of independent analysis this year and we are disappointed that it has not been put in place to give confidence to our members and the wider public.

"We have made it very clear to Defra that our ongoing support should not be taken for granted and that we will make our own assessment of the data when it is published."

NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “Bovine TB continues to devastate farming family businesses across large parts of the country and it is essential that we do everything we can to control and eradicate it. Last year more than 32,000 cattle were slaughtered because of this disease and more than 4,700 additional farming families saw their businesses affected by it.

“In areas where the disease is endemic, like the South West, action must be taken to control it in badgers if we are to stop reinfection occurring and have any chance of wiping it out. This has been acknowledged by the Government and is reflected in its 25-year TB eradication strategy.

“Both cull companies have worked closely with Defra and Natural England to ensure that the recommendations made by the Independent Expert Panel to improve the delivery of operations following last year’s culls have been implemented.

“The Chief Vet has said culling over a four-year period in both pilot areas will have an impact on disease control and we remain confident that these pilots will help to deliver a reduction of TB in cattle. It is vital that they are allowed to be successfully completed so they can deliver the maximum benefits.”

The government had been urged by charities to extend its limited Badger Edge Vaccination Funding Scheme as an alternative to culling.

The Chair of Natural England's Scientific Advisory Committee described the culls as an “epic failure”, and the vast majority of independent scientists agree that a cull can make no meaningful contribution to controlling TB in cattle.

"By contrast, badger vaccination using the injectable BCG vaccine is a viable alternative, and DEFRA is promoting public funding for vaccination projects in the 'edge' area bordering the region worst affected by bovine TB in England," the organisation said.