I have just come across this and wondered how many other cattle keepers are unaware of the latest proposals that Defra are consulting on?
The link below goes to the consultation page so you can fill in your response
Bovine tuberculosis: consultation on proposals to help eradicate the disease in England. - Defra - Citizen Space
A summary of their suggestions
Proposal 1 - extending post movement testing to the edge area
proposal 2 - use of the gamma test in the HRA and edge area
proposal 3 - stop issuing new intensive badger cull licences post 2022
proposal 4 - badger cull licences issued in 2021 and 2022 could be revoked after two years
proposal 5 - reduce the financial commitment required from coal companies
proposal 6 - restrict supplementary badger cull licences to a maximum of two year
3-6 IMO are all to weaken the results the current 4 years intensive culls are getting, moving the goal posts continually and making financial commitments to fund the culls harder to achieve. These need STRONG responses that culls are peer reviewed, scientifically evidenced on 4 years basis (it takes that long to see drops in herd breakdowns) so chopping and changing duration etc will bugger the results and make them look less credible to continue with.
Call for views; If we dont put farmer views across on how these suggestions would impact trade/ herd health/ farmer mental health etc we can't moan if they come into force!
Bovine tuberculosis: call for views on possible future measures to accelerate disease eradication in England - Defra - Citizen Space
It is VITAL cattle keepers respond to these surveys - you can guarantee the wildlife and badger trusts will be encouraging their flunkies to do so, farmers have to put responses in too. Also write to your MPs about it, get it on their radar early, make the comparison between stopping C19 and the hard decisions that have had to be made there to control disease.
Risk to our trade status is also massive - cattle injections could pose a serious issue, and they don't exist yet so stopping culling before there is a viable alternative would scupper their 25 yr eradication goal.
The link below goes to the consultation page so you can fill in your response
Bovine tuberculosis: consultation on proposals to help eradicate the disease in England. - Defra - Citizen Space
A summary of their suggestions
Proposal 1 - extending post movement testing to the edge area
proposal 2 - use of the gamma test in the HRA and edge area
proposal 3 - stop issuing new intensive badger cull licences post 2022
proposal 4 - badger cull licences issued in 2021 and 2022 could be revoked after two years
proposal 5 - reduce the financial commitment required from coal companies
proposal 6 - restrict supplementary badger cull licences to a maximum of two year
3-6 IMO are all to weaken the results the current 4 years intensive culls are getting, moving the goal posts continually and making financial commitments to fund the culls harder to achieve. These need STRONG responses that culls are peer reviewed, scientifically evidenced on 4 years basis (it takes that long to see drops in herd breakdowns) so chopping and changing duration etc will bugger the results and make them look less credible to continue with.
Call for views; If we dont put farmer views across on how these suggestions would impact trade/ herd health/ farmer mental health etc we can't moan if they come into force!
Bovine tuberculosis: call for views on possible future measures to accelerate disease eradication in England - Defra - Citizen Space
It is VITAL cattle keepers respond to these surveys - you can guarantee the wildlife and badger trusts will be encouraging their flunkies to do so, farmers have to put responses in too. Also write to your MPs about it, get it on their radar early, make the comparison between stopping C19 and the hard decisions that have had to be made there to control disease.
Risk to our trade status is also massive - cattle injections could pose a serious issue, and they don't exist yet so stopping culling before there is a viable alternative would scupper their 25 yr eradication goal.
