UPDATE: The cull was ruled legal and pilot killings start this autumn. It is more important than ever to tell the UK Government to stop this ill-thought-out and cruel scheme.
Two proposed pilot culls of badgers were proposed earlier this year, but stopped by the Badger Trust, which demanded a judicial review, which in turn ruled against the culls.
Now it seems to be starting all over again, on a much larger scale. Justice Ouseley must decide whether to open the way to the wholesale slaughter of badgers or declare the killings unlawful.
If it is decided that the culls could go ahead, they would involve the free-shooting of badgers. This would inevitably lead to horrific injuries and terrible suffering for many badgers.
Badger culls don’t work. Scientists suggest the impact would be negligible, or more likely make matters worse. Badger vaccination could be far more effective. There is no real reason to kill hundreds of thousands of wild British animals for the sake of an emotional reaction from cattle farmers.
Ask for a massive and brutal cull of badgers to not take place.
We the undersigned ask that you stop the mass culling of badgersl. We can understand that cattle farmers want to protect their livelihoods and bovine TB needs to be eradicated but culling badgers just doesn’t work. Moreover, it is expensive and receives widespread public oppositions.
Rather than allowing a massive kill just because of an emotional reaction from anxious farmers. Solutions or even experiments based on the scientific evidence would be a far better use of the money required if widespread badger culling were to go ahead.
Even the very best estimates of the cull's advocate only anticipate a possible reduction of 16% in incidences of bovine TB in the event of a huge badger cull. Specialists say that culls could make matters worse.
We ask that you base action on bovine TB on actual science and experience rather than an emotional reaction and perhaps a need to find a scapegoat.
Thank you for your attention.
