Welsh badger cull go-ahead 'disappointing' - RSPCA

The RSPCA is deeply disappointed to learn that contentious plans for a badger cull in Wales have been given the go ahead.

The Welsh Assembly Government confirmed today that it will be carrying out a cull in North Pembrokeshire as part of a package of measures which aim to tackle the problem of bovine TB in cattle.

This cull could lead to the virtual elimination of badgers from an area of nearly 300 km2

Previous plans for a cull were dismissed by the Court of Appeal last July after the Badger Trust won a legal challenge to stop it.

The Welsh government put forward revised, but similar, proposals shortly afterwards for a cull in a specified area in the corner of the country most affected by the disease. It has now announced that these will go ahead.

The RSPCA has always been firmly opposed to the proposed cull in Wales. We believe that vaccination, increased levels of testing, improved biosecurity and stricter controls on the movement of cattle are more sustainable and effective ways of reducing the incidence of bovine TB in cattle.

Senior wildlife scientist Colin Booty said: ""The RSPCA is saddened to hear that the Welsh government has decided to go down the road of a cull after all.

"We believe that this is a dead end policy in every respect. Not only will it result in the death of at least 70% of badgers from the cull area, but it will not resolve the problem in other areas of Wales.

"Geographical features which exist in the Pembrokeshire area mean that such a policy cannot be rolled out for use elsewhere in all the TB affected areas of Wales. In addition, The Independent Scientific Group* concluded that the elimination of badgers across large areas was not a feasible control option.

"A couple of thousand badgers will be killed and the attempt to find a solution to bovine TB in cattle in Wales will still be at a dead-end."