Bovine TB - A Political Disease
- Thread starter llamedos
- Start date
bjreroberts
Member
Good viewing, but far too long for those that need convincing to bother watching it.
Haha, my four-year old daughter lasted the course yesterday. It's not THAT long
- Location
- East Sussex
An excellent video.
The scientists at Warwick and I bet in other places do not come out of this at all well.
It shows what a farce trying to use science as the way to drive forward TB control when these people do not want it to work.
I have always had suspicions that they have their own agenda and that has nothing at all to do with protecting the livelihoods of farmers of ensuring healthy wildlife.
Look at what Lacey said about BSE!
The people on the ground, Vets, Farmers, Gamekeepers, Naturalists all know a lot more about the damage the Badger does than any scientists.
The scientists at Warwick and I bet in other places do not come out of this at all well.
It shows what a farce trying to use science as the way to drive forward TB control when these people do not want it to work.
I have always had suspicions that they have their own agenda and that has nothing at all to do with protecting the livelihoods of farmers of ensuring healthy wildlife.
Look at what Lacey said about BSE!
The people on the ground, Vets, Farmers, Gamekeepers, Naturalists all know a lot more about the damage the Badger does than any scientists.
Philip Watkins
Member
- Location
- Back in Shropshire
Naturalists (Packham for one) might know about the damage badgers do but have their heads buried in the sand.
- Location
- Welshman living in Nottinghamshire
That's the polite version
matthew
Member
- Location
- Cornwall, SW England
The reaction from Liz Wellington came as a shock to us too, Frank.
For years we have supported a targeted method of culling TB infected wildlife, as well as screening cattle. And amplified DNA, or PCR technology seemed a very good way. In practice, it proved to be an excellent way, and Mrs. Quinn (on the video) and others have used it on a private basis.
So when Prof. Wellington threw her teddies out of the pram and spat that she couldn't condone culling infectious badgers, identified by her tests, that was a shock.. As was the fact of a scientist pioneering a process, and then dictating its use.
My co-editor describes this as 'group conformity'.
Defra do not want to cull badgers. End of. They speak quite openly of 'pump priming' farmers to accept the concept of vaccination. Thus all the groupies who surround them will say black is white rather than break ranks.
Even on the blinded trial of PCR technology, Defra lie about its results.
http://bovinetb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/we-cant-tell-which-badgers-are-infected.html
The other thing with Wellington's qPCR is that if an outbreak of this grade 3 zoonotic pathogen is found, it isn't a farmer's job to deal with it. It's Defra's or Public Health, or both. That is the level of seriousness attached to Tuberculosis. And that, they do not want to do.
Brutally, we do not need qPCR to screen out and target infected badgers. We have reactor locations and can overlay those maps with badger colonies, tracks and setts. But for PR, any cull would be a better sell if it had a bit of 'science' behind it.
matthew
Member
- Location
- Cornwall, SW England
It's 26 minutes.
Haha, my four-year old daughter lasted the course yesterday. It's not THAT long
Good for her.
- Location
- Herefordshire uk
I watched it last night very good and honest program it should be be aired on mainstream TV in my opinion.
bjreroberts
Member
It's 26 minutes.
Good for her.
We are interested in the subject and already convinced. Those that need educating are not going to watch this video in full. As an industry we are woefully behind the anti's in our media representation.
exmoor dave
Member
- Location
- exmoor, uk
&as we all know, when we have a reactor break down, the first question AH ask us up on visiting is "mark on the map locations of badger sets"
........ yet supposedly badgers don't cause TB in cattle
- Location
- Fife
How utterly heart breaking. I was very upset watching the film.
- Location
- Fife
Forgive my ignorance, but does this mean that DEFRA/Public Health will now be compelled to do something about the badger settes on Pat's farm which qPCR has shown to be infected?
- Location
- Hertfordshire
A question that I have asked now and again at my local NFU livestock meetings is how the rest of the EU see our efforts (or lack of it) in our attempt to eradicate TB. The answers have been to the effect that they are behind what we are doing.
Post brexit are they likely to toughen up regarding imports etc.
Post brexit are they likely to toughen up regarding imports etc.
matthew
Member
- Location
- Cornwall, SW England
Good question. And perhaps another reason why this non invasive test has been rejected by Defra - for this purpose anyway.
Letter in FW this week from a farmer involved in a collar screening trial, indicated that badgers were trapped, tested and released. Even when positive for TB.
Same for kerbs trails, worked on one the farm same at the time only aimed to cage from half the sets on the farms which was about 900acres , and was surprised when we told them about the other sets they weren't interested, set up to fail was the theme
Disgusting
- Location
- East Sussex
This is a very real problem as at the moment the EU pay for this.
After Brexit it could easily become a stick to beat us with and they could make it that only cattle from "clean areas" could be exported.
What I find appalling in this is the way the so called scientists have manipulated their positions and make the work being done on controlling the disease potentially invalid.
Universities such as Warwick should not be permitted to be involved in any work on TB when the scientists working there are so obviously biased.
This whole sorry affair needs to be publicised widely and brought to the attention of MP's because if this is allowed to continue then we will never get clear of TB.
is this not meant to be the job of the NFU ?
but they seem to be for more cattle controls while the real problem runs wild on our land and we can do nothing about it
Some 25 year's ago the NFU told my grandfather it would never spread and it was are on fault we had it, he kicked them off the farm and hell will freeze over before I have anything to do with them.