We would request that the Agriculture Committee fully considers the following submission during it's inquiry into the subject of bovine tuberculosis (TB) and badgers. Whilst we welcome the government initiatives which seek to minimise TB in cattle, we believe the badger culling experiment to be significantly flawed, and unnecessary.

  1.  We have experienced an increase in the illegal culling of badgers, in non-culling areas. We receive frequent reports of badgers being shot, and ill informed "farmers" have declared publicly that they will kill badgers for fear of a TB breakdown.

  2.  We have been advised of active badger setts in the experimental badger cull area which have been overlooked, such that the competency of survey and application is in doubt.

  3.  The accuracy of the badger survey work in the trial area is further questioned by the large variance between the estimated badger population numbers and actual number of badgers killed in the completed cull.

  4.  We understand that increased restrictions have been applied to cattle movements in the cull area. This additional measure will tend to confuse the results of the experiment such that the outcome will be compromised.

  5.  The current financial difficulties in the agricultural industry, and recent extreme wet weather conditions, have seen many cattle in less than favourable conditions. Clearly the delay with the implementation of husbandry improvements, and lack of adequate incentives to action, is not helping to reduce possible sources of infection from these conditions.

  6.  Other areas of research, particularly cattle vaccine development and investigation into cattle immune system degradation resulting from inappropriate trace elements intake, appear to be lagging and needs expediting.

  We are well aware of the devastation that a TB breakdown can bring to a farmer, and wish to support actions which will reduce TB in cattle that do not include the culling of badgers.

12 January 1999