Albert Badger saves the day...

[meles meles]

Well the Maskirovska seems to have worked, oomans: all those inflatable 'Alberts' we planted around the countryside seem to have deceived the bean counters... The price on our head was just too much.

[Christel]

Long live Albert tongueout

[Watcher]

Labour party bottled it and I rather hoped this government would have a bit more back bone. The farmers will just have to go back to the slurry hose.....

[ovenpaa]

R2 reported that the farmers are saying it is now the wrong time of year and there are too many Badgers so they will not be able to tell if shooting them makes any real difference.

Ermm........

[dromia]

Looks like this a recipe for clandestine badger culling.

[ovenpaa]

Looks like this a recipe for clandestine badger culling.

That was going on 50 years ago and probably still is.

[dromia]

Aye but now with renewed vigour.

[targetman]

Perhaps now would be a good time to convince those useless idiots in Brussles that immunisation of cattle against BTB actually works.....just because they will not accept the test that confirms immunisation as opposed to contracted BTB is what this is all about......

[Scotsgun]

Just gives me more time to re-load

[Jenks]

I have come to the conclusion that there was no point in carrying out a cull as was proposed. It simply didn't go far enough. Killing 70% of badgers in a given trial area How exactly could you determine that you had in fact destroyed 70% besides what about the surviving 30%, some of those would for certain be afflicted with bTB. The only realistic option was/is a 100% cull. This could have been carried out very quickly and efficiently by locating every Sett in the trial area. Then over a very short period Introduce CYMAG,* or similar product to each and every entrance/exit. Once a 100% cull was achieved, destroy/render the setts uninhabitable . Then for the period of the trial Farmers or land owners or their agents should be required to keep their land badger free, not difficult, unless Badgers no longer choose to live in Setts. This policy should once and for all establish the link between the spread of bTB and Badgers. I agree that the long term solution will probably be immunisation of cattle, as and when a suitable vaccine becomes readily available in the UK. In the meantime if a trial cull is deemed necessary then for goodness sake do it properly.

* I have seen Cymag used against Fox. The powder is introduced into the entrances of the Fox earth/den by means of a spoon attached to a stick. The entrance is then sealed/ collapsed. once in contact with the damp earth it produces a cyanide gas. Very effective. It is not legal to use it at the moment but this restriction could be relaxed for the purpose of the trial. Obviously care is required when using it that includes having some Amyl Nitrate handy (poppers).

Jenks

PS Notice how devious Badgers can be. meles meles deliberately moved this topic to here from 'Hunting and Fishing ' It won't do him any good. I will find him.