Vaccinating badgers could eliminate bovine TB - (small) study from Cornwall

[two sheds]

Vaccinating badgers more effective than culls in stopping bovine TB, study finds

Percentage of badgers with bTB fell to zero in Cornish study, raising hopes of end to cull of 210,000 badgers since 2013

www.theguardian.com

A large-scale vaccination programme could help eradicate bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in badgers, according to a first-of-its-kind study with “really promising” results for cattle farmers, whose herds have been devastated by the disease.

Over four years, researchers vaccinated 265 badgers across 12 farms in Cornwall. They found the percentage of badgers testing positive for bTB fell from 16% to zero.


“It’s the best result you could get from a small study,” said the lead researcher, Prof Rosie Woodroffe, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). “The results are really promising but we’d want to see it replicated over a larger area.”

Who'd have thought vaccination would be better than killing them all? (only similar thread I could see was from 2012)

 

[a_chap]

Who'd have thought vaccination would be better than killing them all?

Everyone.

Except farmers and politicians.

 

[StoneRoad]

Please sign this !

Labour Party Stop the Cull Petition - Protect the Wild

Badger Culling: Labour Party - keep your promise and Stop the Cull 28150 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 35000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear Prime Minister, Steve Reed MP (Defra Secretary), and Daniel Zeichner (Farming Minister) I am writing to you regarding…

protectthewild.org.uk

 

[WouldBe]

Don't see why you can't vaccinated the cows. It would be a damn site easier.

 

[Happy Tree]

Brian May's been banging on about this for years. He probably made an appearance in the former thread about it!

 

[two sheds]

As I recall culling them means that the survivors scatter so can make spread even worse.

 

[Epona]

Don't see why you can't vaccinated the cows. It would be a damn site easier.

Cattle vaccine is new and still in the trials stage
(But yes more effort should have been put into this sooner. Badger cull cheaper than mass cattle vaccination though, which I suspect is the driving factor in the way it's been handled).

 

[Happy Tree]

Brian May's badger guitar lol. He had it made for him.

 

[MickiQ]

Don't see why you can't vaccinated the cows. It would be a damn site easier.

I suspect there may be a fear that if we do that then there is a possibility that bovine TB might make the jump to humans, we don't eat badgers.

 

[Saunders]

Field trials for bovine TB cattle vaccine and skin test move to next phase

New phase will assess the safety and performance of the cattle vaccine and skin test for tuberculosis

www.gov.uk

 

[MrsArcanum]

Brian May's been banging on about this for years. He probably made an appearance in the former thread about it!

Brian Blessed also had a rant at farmers over culling.

 

[Happy Tree]

And when Brian Blessed rants you know you've been ranted to!

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

May & Blessed live around 2 miles from each other. Something about Bagshot/Windlesham that attracts Badger Concerned Brians.

 

[rubbershoes]

we don't eat badgers.

Only since the Badgers Act 1973.

Before then, badger ham was known in some particularly rural pubs

 

[MickiQ]

Only since the Badgers Act 1973.

Before then, badger ham was known in some particularly rural pubs

Did not know that learn something new everyday

 

[Elpenor]

May & Blessed live around 2 miles from each other. Something about Bagshot/Windlesham that attracts Badger Concerned Brians.

Maybe the Boxing Day pram race?

A mate worked on May’s roof

 

[tim]

Only since the Badgers Act 1973.

Before then, badger ham was known in some particularly rural pubs

You can still eat roadkill badgers.

Eating badger: a sett menu

The suggestion that culled badgers ought to be eaten is causing a bit of a stir, but is it so terrible an idea? It certainly has historical precedent, says Alex Renton

www.google.com