Madness indeed:
In a Commons statement, the environment secretary said that while a large-scale cull could improve the situation, it could also make the problem worse... About 4,000 herds were affected by the disease last year, mainly in the south-west of England. The government based its decision on advice from the Independent Scientific Group, established to commission and review research on the issue. The ISG concluded that culling would not be an economic solution to the problem, although a subsequent analysis led by the government's former chief scientific advisor Sir David King came down in favour of culling.
Yes, of course it "could" make things worse, but the gummint had no problems in ordering a cull of four million animals in response to the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak. And who's to say whether the badger cull would be "economic"; some quangocrats or the farmers - the people who have to balance the cost of the loss of business with the cost of the cull?
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8 comments:
Agreed. If badgers are plentiful, then a cull is sensible; if they are scarce, then its hard to see that they are a significant part of the problem. We know that they are a problem and so a cull is reasonable.
Can't cull friendly faced animals MW. You know that. Now if it was Jackdaws cause TB.. well..
It's bizarre that 21st C farm policy is being dictated by happy childhood memories of The Tufty Club or Wind In The Willows.
Why does King want the bloody things culled? I thought he believed that furry animals will all die soonest due to the heat death of the universe aka Global warming.
If farmers are so worried about Badgers why don't they cull the bloody things themselves?
Why do they have to whine to the State to get th job done?
The article kicks off by saying "The government will not issue licences to cull badgers ..." which suggests that farmers would like to be able to get on with it but they aren't allowed.
Perhaps they're afraid that a badger cull might result in Alastair Darling being killed in a tragic misidentification mishap.
"Tragic"?
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