Badgers need your help!

Think that was probably a farmer having cows go for slaughter even though they had not tested positive,they had tested doubtful on two following tests.

The farmer I saw was what they describe as self contained meaning no animals brought onto that farm.If those cows really did have BTB they certainly did not get it from cattle to cattle infection.Thought it interesting that a Badger sett on the farm and obviously the farmer had not taken any action against it.

I sometimes wonder if Badgers infected pets in peoples garden would they have the same love of them as they have at the moment.  

Interesting bit on Farming Today about a study that shows that the skin test misses a significant number of animals that have TB and that this is the main cause of recurrence of TB at farms that have repeat outbreaks rather than cattle movements or badgers.  Listen again on www.bbc.co.uk/.../b01nbqyz.  Also interesting Guardian article that suggests there are more badgers in the cull zones than was previously thought.  Farmers may be getting cold feet about the costs of the cull - www.guardian.co.uk/.../cost-badger-cull-u-turn

Vaccination of badgers must be looking more attractive now.

Boris,it is really bad if a test being used for the last 60 years is no good,surely they should have perfected it by now.Found the broadcast really confusing as the only way that study could prove that the test was missing reactors was to find some reactors  from cows recently tested and passed as clear.

Really this is a fairly simple thing to do as if they go to slaughterhouse and examine cattle recently tested as clear and find it in the lungs then proof absolute,at the moment the only thing wrong with the test as I  have heard is that on slaughter some reactors and doubtful's do not have the disease

What was said on the program seemed to me to be leading the professor to say what the interviewer wanted and the conclusion the professor came to about spread in herd after reactors taken could just as easily been put at the badgers door as at cattle to cattle infection.

Am not trying to lay blame on Badger but the study needed to prove what they insinuate by going to slaughterhouse,the conclusion just comes down to guess work and was really a waste of time.

Do agree that if we have a effective vaccine it is more attractive.

Sooty, I think you may want to read the paper www.plosone.org/.../journal.pone.0043217 they didn't insinuate anything, they did go to the slaughterhouse to prove which animals were missed by the test.  They do not suggest that the test is useless but point out that it is far from perfect also.  The paper also shows that several steps have been taken to improve testing but several of these have happened only in the last few years.

You may choose to read this paper differently but I would suggest that one conclusion that can be drawn from it is that the furore around badger culling should not be allowed to distract attention from improving the testing regime and its enforcement.

Morning all, please have a read of Martin Harpers latest blog here which focusses on the ongoing badger debate.

Robin,you are right and I was only commenting on the interview not knowing about the paper and agree entirely with Bobs comment also found the paper difficult to follow.

If the figures I have seen that during the 80s there were most years cattle slaughtering's in the hundreds and well below a thousand that must have meant that the test was working reasonably well also it is used in several other country's then it does not appear that there is too much wrong with it but obviously any improvement is beneficial.

Somehow exactly like Bob Ifeel we all need to somehow get singing from the same hymn sheet and get BTB cleared up.

Like lots of other things the UK is very backward as other country's have either cleared there disease up or are well on the way to doing so while our BTB has dramatically got worse over the last 15 years.

Someone needs to bite the bullet and get it cleared up.  

I wonder if it's just a matter of designing the right solution. Could we not come up with a way of spiking something tasty to badgers with a TB-vaccine. And scattering it around hot-spot and particularly dens. Also perhaps electric fences with a low charge enough to see off but not kill a badger. But then where does the money come from? I love badgers but also want reasonably priced meat and dairy. There is a trade off and with world food prices rising this is not an issue which is clear-cut for me. I don't think there is a definite right answer, everyone has to try and do their best. Poor badgers :(

Intr0,it seems that vaccine given by food for badgers is some way off and the big problem with trying to stop Badgers with electric fence is that you have to obviously have them low down and then grass etc grows and touches them which earths them and makes the fence lose the current and becomes innefective then getting broken.

You are definitely right that there is no clear cut answer

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