Badgers – Take action

Urgent: Contact the Prime Minister and ask her to stop the ‘cull’
Urgent: Write to your local paper and back our dairy boycott
Urgent: Contact your MP to tell them ‘Badgers will fight back at the polls’
Urgent: Contact Michelle McIlveen. No to badger ‘culling’ in Northern Ireland!
Urgent: Contact Lesley Griffiths. No to badger ‘culling’ in Wales!

Sadly, badgers are being shot in areas of England as part of a terminally misguided attempt to control TB in cattle. Last year, ‘culls’ of badgers took place in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset. In 2016, areas in Herefordshire, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset and further parts of Gloucestershire had been added. There are fears that more areas will be added in 2017. All this to appease the bloody dairy industry for a mess of its own making​. They are scapegoats for farmers’ failings and outrageous political backslapping. Thankfully the Welsh Government has reversed policy to kill badgers and is now pursuing vaccination of wildlife (although this too is now under threat). Despite becoming ever more isolated, the Government in England has pressed ahead with this wide-reaching extermination of indigenous British wildlife. 

Please stand up for the badger!

• Don’t eat meat or dairy – animal agriculture is at the root of the badger’s plight. Click here to find out how to ditch them! Sign our online petition to boycott English dairy (over 4,500 people have already taken the pledge!).
• Click here for your free badger door-dropper leaflets. For bigger numbers of leaflets for stalls and other uses please email liam@viva.org.uk. Spread the word!
• Register your interest to join peaceful and legal injured badger walks in affected parts of England.
• Join our dedicated Welsh and English Facebook groups to fight badger ‘culling’!
• Protest!: organise your own peaceful protest. We can send you free materials (see above), we just need you to take the message to the people.
• Viva! needs your support. Please donate to our campaign and help us stop the misery of factory farming and the destruction of our wildlife. Join Viva! if you are not already a supporter.

Badgers at the ballot box! 

Tell your MP to back badgers!

The decision in England to pursue a policy of badger ‘culling’ has little to do with eradicating TB in cattle. However, it has much to do with political favouritism and politicians holding onto their own seats by currying favour with a deluded farming lobby that thinks that badgers are to blame for their own failings. The situation is now especially urgent as badger cubs will be shot for the first time this year to boost numbers killed.

What can we do?

It is important to remind politicians (of all political colours) that a decision to back badgers might favour them, but a decision to back ‘culling’ could cost them dear at the ballot box. The email/letter below is suggested text, but please adjust it as you see fit (especially to tell a politician that you would normally vote for that you won’t because of this issue) and please keep all correspondence polite.

Find your MP’s contact details (England): http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

“Dear [name of politician or MP]

I am writing to you as a constituent to let you know that I am very concerned about the fate of badgers being scapegoated in a misguided attempt to control bovine TB.

I am extremely disappointed that the badger ‘cull’ policy is ongoing and I want to let you know that this will influence my vote at future elections. In other words, I will not vote for politicians who back any type of badger ‘culling’ and I will be working to encourage friends and family to do likewise.

I am especially horrified to learn that, for the first time, badger cubs will be targeted to boost numbers after previous targets have failed. The idea of killing baby wild animals to prop up a failing, pointless policy horrifies me – and will horrify many voters.

The qualified consensus – reached by the 10 year study by Independent Scientific Group – is that “badger culling cannot meaningfully contribute to the control of bovine TB in Britain.” Yes, cases have sometimes increased (although TB rates are now falling), but the fact remains that the finger of blame for this crisis has to point back at the farming community and bad political decisions. They can attempt to demonise wildlife all they want, but the intensification of farming practices, poor testing and the huge increase in cattle movements are the real reasons for the spread of this disease. Around 14 million cattle are moved across the UK each year – this number has quadrupled since 1999.

I wish to reiterate that my position is not based on sentiment, but on science. Indeed, eminent scientists and ecologists, such as Lord Krebs and Dr. Rosie Woodroffe, have condemned plans as going against the science. Support by British Veterinary Association for the ‘cull’ is wavering because of a lack of independent analysis. The BVA have also said that they will not back free-shooting, as it has been proven not to be effective nor humane. Cage trapping is much more expensive. How can the Government justify this cost in time of austerity? With Wales’ policy of not ‘culling’ England is looking ever more isolated in its position.

Put simply, if you are against badger ‘culling’ I ask you to speak out and make your voice heard amongst fellow politicians and decision makers. Please do not underestimate the strength of feeling that is burgeoning across the country at this needless push to eradicate badgers when farming based measures alone could bring the TB in cattle under control.

Please back Britain’s wildlife and say no to badger ‘culling’.

Yours sincerely”

[Don’t forget to add your address!]

Email the Prime Minister

Ask the Prime Minister in England to follow the lead of Wales

Despite the u-turn in Wales over badger ‘culling’, the Government in England is continuing in its policy to kill badgers in England (and has now ruled it out to new areas). Please write to the Prime Minister to ask her to abandon this policy – and copy Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Andrea Leadsom and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment George Eustice into your message, too, in a separate email!

Contact No10 and Theresa May directly using this web form.

Email Michael Gove (put FAO Michael Gove): defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Email George Eustice (put FAO George Eustice): defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk

“Dear Prime Minister

I am hugely disappointed that the badger ‘cull’ is going ahead this year despite such widespread opposition from the public, independent scientists and animal experts. It is an animal welfare disaster. And worse, it has been extended to even more areas.

I am especially dismayed to learn that, for the first time, badger cubs may be targeted to boost numbers after previous targets have failed. The idea of killing baby wild animals to prop up a failing, pointless policy horrifies me – and will horrify many people.

The British Veterinary Association have said that they will not back free-shooting, as it has been proven not to be effective nor humane. Cage trapping is much more expensive. How can the Government justify this cost in time of austerity?

TB figures are already plummeting and have been vastly overestimated in the past couple of years due to incompetence. I urge you to follow a non-lethal, science led approach to fighting TB in cattle.

People are becoming increasingly exasperated by Government claims that the ‘culls’ were a success, when clearly they were utter failures even when judged by your own criteria. To top it all, the policy won’t even control TB in cattle.

You have promised to look at the science – and the science overwhelmingly says that killing badgers does not work. Please reverse the policy in England to kill badgers.

Yours faithfully”

Tell Northern Ireland not to kill badgers

If there was one place where you would think that badgers would be safe it would be Northern Ireland (NI). The incidence of bovine TB (bTB) is lower there than anywhere in the UK, and lower than in the Republic of Ireland. Levels of bTB in NI cattle fell by 50 per cent between 2002-07 – this was achieved without killing any badgers by using effective cattle control methods. However, farmers are once again clamouring for ‘culling’ in NI – boosted by the disastrous policy in England.

A selective ‘cull’ is now in place. The fact that badgers free of the disease are to be vaccinated and released, whilst those testing positive will be killed, ignores the fact that badgers are not the main vector for TB. Politicians in NI would be better off tightening biosecurity further and cracking down on illegal badger baiting.

Use the letter below as a template (or even better create your own).

Send polite messages to:

Michelle McIlveen
Minister of Agriculture
Room 337
Parliament Buildings
Belfast BT4 3XX

Or email: private.office@dardni.gov.uk
Or fax: 02890524170

“Dear Minister McIlveen

I am writing to you to ask that you abandon the policy for a selective ‘cull’ of badgers.

According the the Northern Ireland Badger Group, only 17 per cent of badgers in NI are infected with TB. In England, even those backing a ‘cull’ only say that more-or-less decimating badgers in certain areas will result in a paltry 12-16 per cent reduction after nine years. This clearly shows the crux of the problem lies elsewhere and killing badgers is only pandering to farmers.

Badgers are not to blame for the bTB crisis. Michelle Gildernew previously stated that, “… we do not know with any certainty the extent to which badgers contribute to the incidence of TB in cattle.” However, the largest study ever undertaken into the issue – the Independent Scientific Group’s report – stated categorically that ‘culling’ badgers would make no meaningful contribution to controlling the spread of the disease – and could make things worse. NI has shown the way in recent years in sensibly tackling bTB through the main vector – cattle-to-cattle transmission. The reduction of 50 per cent (between 2002-07) of bTB in cattle is encouraging – and all without killing wildlife. I urge you to continue with this approach.

It is also madness to begin killing wildlife, even in a limited way, when there are issues left unaddressed within farming. The NI Audit Office’s report, The Control of Bovine Tuberculosis in NI (March 2009), highlighted several areas for future improvement in the fight against bTB – but was firmly against badger ‘culling’. The report blames inadequate boundary fencing and poor on-farm bio-security; the failure of farmers to take part in training to limit the spread of disease and increase their bio-security knowledge; failure to implement pre-movement testing; and failure to tackle potentially widespread non-compliance by farmers, and insufficient fines to discourage future fraud.

Whilst these issues remain unaddressed in NI, I would suggest that your department’s efforts are better served tackling these problems – as well as fast tracking vaccination for both badgers and cattle. Please say no to the needless slaughter of NI wildlife.

Yours sincerely”

Say “no!” to the limited badger ‘cull’ announced in Wales

Viva! is very disappointed at the Welsh Government’s decision to implement a limited ‘cull’ of badgers on farms next year with persistent instances of bovine TB. Badgers will be trapped and ones found to have the disease will be killed.

Wales has previously rejected badger ‘culling’ and has made much better progress at reducing TB than England without killing any wildlife.

We believe that this move is purely political and is designed to placate the farming industry. Although the scale is much smaller than in England, it is important to understand that this is a total misdirection because the vast majority of TB breakdowns are due to poor farming practices not badgers. This move gives a false legitimacy to the idea that badgers are central to controlling TB in cattle.

Tell Wales to u-turn for badgers!

Contact Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs

Email: correspondence.lesley.griffiths@gov.wales

Office Address:
Vernon House
41 Rhosddu Road
Wrexham
LL11 2NS

Phone: 01978 355743

Assembly Address:
National Assembly for Wales
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF99 1NA

“Dear Ms Griffiths

I am hugely disappointed that you have announced limited badger ‘culling’ in Wales after years of Welsh Labour advocating non-lethal measures.

95 per cent of herds in Wales are now TB free. New herd incidents in Wales have fallen by 40 per cent since 2009. In contrast, badger ‘culling’ in England has failed spectacularly to control the disease in cattle. Despite killing 15,000 badgers and spending around £40 million in the past 4 years, new herd incidents have only reduced by 7.5 per cent, and this has been negligible in the ‘cull’ areas.

Introducing badger ‘culling’ at this stage makes no sense. Figures show that TB in badgers in Wales is at an all-time low of 6.6 per cent nationally and around just 1 per cent in their worst hit area. This lower figure coincides with the areas where badgers have been vaccinated. Finding diseased badgers in these areas will be extremely difficult.

It is a huge shame that the Welsh Labour appears to have caved to pressure from the farming industry – especially as Labour in England have recently committed to stopping the killing of badgers. It is wrong that they continue to be blamed for what is primarily a disease that continues to be driven by failures by the farming industry.

Please abandon plans to kill badgers in Wales.

Yours faithfully

[your name and address]”