the science of bovine tb putting your · bovine tb what is bovine tb? bovine tuberculosis or bovine...

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THE BADGER CULL In September 2017, DEFRA announced the continuation and expansion of the killing of thousands of badgers across England @BadgerTrustUK @BadgerTrust PUTTING YOUR DONATIONS TO WORK... The Badger Trust relies on the generous do- nations and subscription fees from our valued supporters. In turn we make sure that your money gets put straight to work protecting badgers across the country. Your generous support could go towards … - Give badgers a brake - Can the cull - Advice on badgers - Recording crime: enabling us to campaign for better punishments for offenders - Provide training for the police - Educational outreach in schools - Campaign to end badger culling - Public outreach and education - Support of local initiatives: rescue and rehabilitation efforts, vaccination programmes, Can the Cull, and Give Badgers a Brake - Media activities to local and national concerns Find out more about our great work at www.badger.org.uk THE SCIENCE OF BOVINE TB WHAT IS BOVINE TB? Bovine tuberculosis or bovine TB (bTB) is a highly contagious and deadly disease cau- sed by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The disease forms in the lymph nodes of effected animals and causes sym- ptoms such as coughing, fever, weight loss, diarrhea, and eventually death. While highly contagious, the slow rate of onset means the disease can go unnoticed for months and even years whilst it spreads rapidly to other members of the herd. WHO TRANSMITS BOVINE TB? Cattle are the true hosts of bovine TB and the primary transmission method of the disease in the UK is cattle to cattle transmissi- on. However, the disease has been reported in both domestic and non-domestic animals including: moles, hares, otters, goats, sheep, horses, pigs, boar, deer, dogs, cats, foxes, mink, badgers, ferrets, rats, primates, llamas, squirrels and more. GOVERNMENT RESEARCH There has only been one study commissi- oned by the Government into the issue of bTB transmission from badgers to cattle. This study took place between 1998 and 2006 and is undeniably the most comprehensive study that exists on bovine TB and bad- gers. This study was called The Randomised Badger Culling Trial or RBCT. The outcome of the study was clear “…data indicates that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain”.

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Page 1: THE SCIENCE OF BOVINE TB PUTTING YOUR · BOVINE TB WHAT IS BOVINE TB? Bovine tuberculosis or bovine TB (bTB) is a highly contagious and deadly disease cau-sed by the bacteria Mycobacterium

THE BADGER CULLIn September 2017, DEFRA announced the continuation and expansion of the killing of thousands of badgers across England

@BadgerTrustUK @BadgerTrust

PUTTING YOURDONATIONS TO WORK... The Badger Trust relies on the generous do-nations and subscription fees from our valued supporters. In turn we make sure that your money gets put straight to work protecting badgers across the country. Your generous support could go towards …

- Give badgers a brake- Can the cull- Advice on badgers - Recording crime: enabling us to campaign for better punishments for offenders- Provide training for the police- Educational outreach in schools- Campaign to end badger culling- Public outreach and education- Support of local initiatives: rescue and rehabilitation efforts, vaccination programmes, Can the Cull, and Give Badgers a Brake- Media activities to local and national concerns

Find out more about our great work at www.badger.org.uk

THE SCIENCE OF BOVINE TB

WHAT IS BOVINE TB?

Bovine tuberculosis or bovine TB (bTB) is a highly contagious and deadly disease cau-sed by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The disease forms in the lymph nodes of effected animals and causes sym-ptoms such as coughing, fever, weight loss, diarrhea, and eventually death. While highly contagious, the slow rate of onset means the disease can go unnoticed for months and even years whilst it spreads rapidly to other members of the herd.

WHO TRANSMITS BOVINE TB?

Cattle are the true hosts of bovine TB and the primary transmission method of the disease in the UK is cattle to cattle transmissi-on. However, the disease has been reported in both domestic and non-domestic animals including: moles, hares, otters, goats, sheep, horses, pigs, boar, deer, dogs, cats, foxes, mink, badgers, ferrets, rats, primates, llamas, squirrels and more.

GOVERNMENT RESEARCH

There has only been one study commissi-oned by the Government into the issue of bTB transmission from badgers to cattle. This study took place between 1998 and 2006 and is undeniably the most comprehensive study that exists on bovine TB and bad-gers. This study was called The Randomised Badger Culling Trial or RBCT. The outcome of the study was clear “…data indicates that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain”.

Page 2: THE SCIENCE OF BOVINE TB PUTTING YOUR · BOVINE TB WHAT IS BOVINE TB? Bovine tuberculosis or bovine TB (bTB) is a highly contagious and deadly disease cau-sed by the bacteria Mycobacterium

THE BADGER CULL

In September 2017, Defra announced the con-tinuation and expansion of the killing of thous-ands of badgers across England in an effort to lower bovine TB in cattle. 21 cull zones are now in operation across wide parts of England stretching from Cornwall to Cheshire.

The number of badgers killed to date now sits at a staggering 34,056 at an estimated cost of £50 mil-lion to the tax payer. None of the badgers killed will have been tested for TB and the vast majority are likely to free of the disease. Many of the bad-gers will have been killed by a controlled shooting method which could result in them taking over 5 minutes to die of multiple bullet wounds, blood loss and organ failure, which is condemned as inhumane by the British Veterinary Association

At the Badger Trust we have openly opposed the badger cull since its inception on the basis that is failing on scientific, humaneness and cost grounds and is a dangerous distraction for the

farming industry when it comes to tackling the key cause of the spread of bovine TB in cattle.

The Badger Trust is opposing the badger cull policy in the media, Westminster, the High Court and through peaceful protests in towns and cities across the country and in the cull zones.

Badgers get TB from cattle, but there is very little evidence to prove they can easily spread the disease back to cattle. Cattle are the main car-riers and transmitters for bovine TB and the only way to significantly lower the disease on farms is by cattle based measures.

The Badger Trust is calling for a combination of

cattle measures to lower bovine TB including improved TB testing for cattle, tighter bio security measures on farms and tighter cattle control movements. This policy has proved highly effective in Wales where 95% of herds are now TB free.

The Badger Trust supports the vaccination of badgers as an effective means of lowering the disease in badgers that do not carry TB and is calling on the government to move forward with TB cattle vaccine trials in the UK.

Tthe Independent Expert Panel appointed by DEFRA assessed the culls as “ineffective and inhumane” and shortly after reporting on the ineffectiveness of controlled shooting, the IEP was dissolved. Currently the badger cull has no independent scientific oversight with the government undermining expert advice and scientific research. The Government’s culling policy ignores the science and runs against opinion of the majority of scientific experts who criticise badger culling as an inhumane, unnecessary and ineffective.