Badger cull

[Sugar Ape]

What do you make of this then? Justified or not? Just reading this article in The Guardian and it says we could wipe out 100,000 of them, 1/3 of the population in the UK. Surely be better finding the extra money and paying for a vaccine?

 

Fuckers out hunting them are lucky it isn't the Honey Badger or they would get their shit fucked up.

 

Badger cull 'mindless', say scientists | Environment | The Observer

 

 

Britain's top animal disease scientists have launched a devastating attack on the government's "mindless" badger cull, accusing ministers of failing to tell the truth and demanding the immediate abandonment of the killings.

 

The intervention by dozens of the nation's most senior experts, in a letter in the Observer, comes as farmers prepare to begin the cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset, possibly as early as tomorrow. The government's own chief scientist has refused to back the killings.

 

More than 30 eminent 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.

 

TB in English cattle is an increasing problem, with the 26,000 infected animals slaughtered in 2011 costing £90m in compensation. Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, argues that more than a decade of research shows that culling badgers, which can carry bovine TB, could reduce infections by 12%-16% if undertaken intensively for many years and over large areas.

 

However, the scientists reject the idea of scientific support for the cull, which could wipe out 100,000 badgers, a third of the national population. The cull policy is "mindless", according to Lord John Krebs, one of the UK's most eminent scientists and the architect of the landmark 10-year culling trials that ended in 2007. "The scientific case is as clear as it can be: this cull is not the answer to TB in cattle. The government is cherry-picking bits of data to support its case."

 

Another signatory, Lord Robert May, a former government chief scientist and president of the Royal Society, said: "It is very clear to me that the government's policy does not make sense." He added: "I have no sympathy with the decision. They are transmuting evidence-based policy into policy-based evidence."

 

The current government chief scientist, Professor Sir John Beddington, refused to back the cull. Asked if it could make a meaningful contribution to tackling TB in cattle, he said: "I continue to engage with Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] on the evidence base concerning the development of bovine TB policy. I am content that the evidence base, including uncertainties and evidence gaps, has been communicated effectively to ministers."

 

A Defra spokesman said: "The leading experts Defra brought together in April 2011 agreed that the evidence shows that culling done in the right way can reduce the spread of the disease to cattle, with benefits remaining for many years. The culling policy has been developed to maximise the benefits shown in previous trials, and to minimise the impact of badgers spreading disease beyond the cull area by including hard boundaries such as motorways and rivers."

 

But scientists say the two-page document produced by the April meeting does not support the cull. Professor Rosie Woodroffe, of the Zoological Society of London, said: "The document simply does not endorse the policy."

 

The cull has provoked the largest animal rights campaign since fox hunting in the 1990s, with some activists pledging to disrupt the nocturnal shootings by marksmen. More than 150,000 people have signed a government e-petition to stop the cull, entitling it to be considered for a debate in parliament. MPs say they are confident this will be granted when the decision is made on Tuesday.

 

The scientists, whose letter is also being sent to Paterson, claim scientific opinion in the UK is overwhelmingly against the cull. "I just don't know anyone who is really informed who thinks this is a good idea," said Professor John Bourne, who led the decade-long trial.

 

The scientists reject other statements from ministers and even David Cameron, who said last week: "I believe this is the right policy for healthy badgers as well as healthy cattle."

 

Woodroffe pointed to research showing that just 14% of badgers in previous culls had TB and just one in a hundred had severe symptoms. "Furthermore, all the evidence shows that culling badgers increases the proportion of badgers that have TB," she said.

 

In a separate development, nine leading vets have written an open letter, co-ordinated by the Humane Society, to Defra and Natural England. They warn that the shooting permitted by the cull licences "will inevitably result in the targeting of many pregnant sows and, if culling extends towards the end of the open season, could result in the shooting of lactating sows, leading to the starvation of dependent cubs".

 

Naturalist and broadcaster Bill Oddie said: "I cannot believe they are going to be able to go out in pitch darkness – badgers are nocturnal – and shoot them. It is truly a horrific situation."

[Strontium]

It's not justified by the science, but farmers don't seem happy unless they're killing something.

[zigackly]

[brucespanner]

TB spreading cunts.

 

We should fuck 'em off, them and pandas, stupid fucking animals pandas.

[Sugar Ape]

It's not justified by the science, but farmers don't seem happy unless they're killing something.

 

So far the main comments I've seen defending the cull seems to be ' you don't live in the countrside, so you don't understand. ' There appears to be nothing much to back it up, apart from cherry picking the parts of the report they like, and ignoring the others.

[zigackly]

Presumably they were mainly "dispersing" them, just like foxes, anyway.

[jonnybastard]

I live in the country, and I understand that killing badgers is a cunts trick.

[Guest San Don]

Think its appalling in this day and age people want badgers killed in their thousands to potentially stop the spread of TB in cattle, You'd think people could spend their time finding a better preventative vacine for cows rather than slaughter lots of other animals.

 

You only have to drive down the A53 to see these poor bastards splattered all over the road as they try and cross a dual carriageway.

[dickie mint]

Think its appalling in this day and age people want badgers killed in their thousands to potentially stop the spread of TB in cattle, You'd think people could spend their time finding a better preventative vacine for cows rather than slaughter lots of other animals.

 

You only have to drive down the A53 to see these poor bastards splattered all over the road as they try and cross a dual carriageway.

 

 

They should spend the money learning them the Green Cross Code.

[Pony Princess]

"PLS DON KILL US PLSSS"

 

 

I really like badgers so I am biased, but farmers do seem to have this attitude of wanting to kill wildlife because it *might* eat into their profits. You'd think farmers would be quite in tune with nature and appreciate how everything plays it's part, and that one has to share and care, but no. They also feed beefburgers to swans and they don't like outsiders. They like to stick to their own.

[md1892]

Farmers being "miserly cunts shocker", what next? make them spay all their feral cats?

[Mendoza]

 

You can kill a badger in about a second. Just kick it's face off.

[TheBitch]

Anybody know how Bodger feels about all this?

[Lee909]

We get the odd badger round where I work.

Badgers are only dangerous if you are a midget.

 

Dwarf porn star Percy Foster who had an uncanny resemblance to foul mouthed TV chef Gordon Ramsay has been found dead in a badger den in Wales in what reports are calling bizarre circumstances.

 

The thirty five year old star f X-rated movie Hi-Ho Hi-Ho, It's Up Your Arse We Go was discovered in a badgers den, partially eaten, by Ministry of Agriculture experts who were checking the den ahead of a planned badger-gassing program.

The midget porn stars 107 centimetre (3'6´´) body was discovered 'partially gnawed' in the badger burrow, however at the moment it is unclear how the adult actor died, suicide has not been ruled out by investigators.

Adult film producer Dexter Yamunkeh said "Percy was a little guy with big problems... He was doing well but was under pressure like everyone else in this god damn industry."

In a recent interview Percy Foster revealed his pleasure about his growing career as Ramsay's double, he also stated: "Porn lookalikes get more money than normal actors. Dwarf lookalikes are as rare as hen's teeth and so can command top dollar. I've already ordered a new BMW and a diamond-encrusted Soda Stream."

[Paulie Dangerously]

Because I hate Brian May I say slaughter them all

[Lee909]

Bring it on bitches

 

[jonnybastard]

Why don't they just bring back badger baiting, another countryside tradition? I went baiting once, fucking horrible, stood round a hole in the ground- mocking and jeering, shouting abuse, chants of 'you're just a skunk with a fat arse' and 'your cock's got a tiny bone'. The poor fuckers packed up and fled in tears, despite their reputed 'thick skin'. Had to go back to picking on ginger kids after that.

[jonnybastard]

So far the main comments I've seen defending the cull seems to be ' you don't live in the countrside, so you don't understand. ' There appears to be nothing much to back it up, apart from cherry picking the parts of the report they like, and ignoring the others.

 

Country ways, it's not all incest and pikey shoots.

[gumps]

Totally unwarranted and unjustified in my opinion.

 

Have to say first off, i'm biased. I like Badgers. They are getting bad press here. If its not getting dug out of their sets by shaven headed, pit bull terrier neanderthals then its being targeted for a cull.

 

Classic sledgehammer to crack a nut scenario here. They should be investing time and money in the root cause, ie , eradicating the TB in the first place. No idea how to do this in practice mind, well above my pay grade, but going out and shooting 100k animals!

 

Don't believe those compensation figures either. If its anything like my experience of agricultural type compensation schemes, no doubt backed up from the EU somewhere, there will be little enough checking and verification. A bit of a scam probably.

[Anny Road]

Instead of having a go at farmers maybe consumers should stop expecting £1.99 chickens and £1.50 pounds of mince. This is all about finding the cheapest way to control the problem not the best.

[silverlining]

Instead of having a go at farmers maybe consumers should stop expecting £1.99 chickens and £1.50 pounds of mince. This is all about finding the cheapest way to control the problem not the best.

 

The consumers aren't to blame. If they get sold chicken for £2, that isn't their fault, and nor would they "expect it" if it hadn't already been offered to them.

[zigackly]

Instead of having a go at farmers maybe consumers should stop expecting £1.99 chickens and £1.50 pounds of mince. This is all about finding the cheapest way to control the problem not the best.

 

Culling doesn't work.

[Strontium]

Instead of having a go at farmers maybe consumers should stop expecting £1.99 chickens and £1.50 pounds of mince. This is all about finding the cheapest way to control the problem not the best.

 

 

Since I don't buy chicken or mince, am I still allowed to have a go at farmers?

[Anny Road]

Not having a pop at anyone in particular when I say consumers but in general the public via supermarkets expect top quality stuff for next to fuck all in price.

I know loads of farmers and know how hard they graft for not a huge amount of money.

[silverlining]

Not having a pop at anyone in particular when I say consumers but in general the public via supermarkets expect top quality stuff for next to fuck all in price.

I know loads of farmers and know how hard they graft for not a huge amount of money.

 

How come you know loads of farmers? Unless you are one.