Critics prepare for fight after badger cull debate given go-ahead
Opponents of the badger cull were jubilant yesterday after MPs were given the go-ahead to officially debate the policy.
Five MPs are sponsoring the debate regarding the scientific evidence for culling the animal in a bid to reduce tuberculosis (TB) in cattle.
“In choosing to plough ahead with the barbaric cull in our countryside, the coalition government has shown complete contempt for scientific evidence on bovine TB," Green MP Caroline Lucas, one of the five sponsors of the debate, commented.
"We don't need any more trials or pilots – the belief that badger culling represents an effective solution to the problem of TB in cattle has already been disproven."
The growing campaigns of RSPB, the Badger Trust, Animal Aid, and Team Badger are offering evidence against the cull and providing alternative approaches to the bovine TB issue.
An e-petition has been signed by over 100,000 people calling on the MPs to stop the cull.
Some campaigners suggest reducing the crowded conditions of cattle would prevent the spread of the disease, instead of relying on a cull.
Owen Paterson, the new environment secretary, insisted evidence supports his policy for the six-week cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset before the winter.
