THE badger betrayal farce continues It seems that Defra had a tidying-up end of the parliamentary term exercise on the vexed issue of the ‘badger problem’.

Since the three pilot culls successfully removed 1,467 badgers within the ‘scientific’ deadlines and criteria, the Chief Vet concluded they are a viable way of reducing the badger risk.

And so on December 17, following the consultation, they issued New Guidance of Natural England including the minor changes as to duration of culls/vaccinations, and area targeted... for three/four additional pilots in Cornwall, Devon and Hereford.

All this based on the continuing repeated cries from farmers and vets that “Badgers are still the main cause of the spread of TB”, accounting for up to 90 per cent of new breakdowns.

It is a betrayal of farmers that neither chief vets or ministers seem be bright enough or willing to grasp the problem of dozens of farmers under TB restrictions five-15 years plus could be solved rapidly by using the fast late TB antibody ENFER test as routinely used in Ireland for chronic TB herds, where skin tests miss the active spreader culprit cow.

Martin Hancox

Stroud