An Broc (The Badger) is the newsletter of Badgerwatch (Ire) Newsletter no. 47. Spring 2014. we site! www. adgerwatch.

ie Affiliated to! The Irish "ildlife Tr#st Badger Tr#st ($.%.) . Tel&'a(! 00 )*) (0) *1+)7),7- e+.ail! ernadette. arrett/g.ail.co.

A andoned 0 the Bern 1on2ention. Sta ed in the ac3 0 National 4ar3s and "ildlife Ser2ice.

5(ec#ted 0 the 6ept. of Agric#lt#re7 'ood and the 8arine.

The #lti.ate fate of o#r adgers

Protected by an massive array of legislation, Appendix lll of the Bern Convention (Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural abitat ! and "rish Wildlife Act #$%& (amended! '(((, one )ould be forgiven for thin*ing that the protection afforded to our native badger )as absolute, in short, untouchable+ o) )rong can )e be, According to figures accumulated from the -epartment of Agriculture, .ood and the /arine, (-A./! thousands of badgers are captured and subse0uently *illed every year in a cruel multi1strand )ire snare+ 2o date, approximately #((,((( badgers have met their fate in -epartment of Agriculture snares+ 2he trapping licence is issued to the -epartment by none other than the National Par*s and Wildlife 3ervice, (NPW3!+ "ronically, the NPW3 is the office charged )ith the protection and conservation of the badger+ #

Article $ of Bern allo)s capture for scientific research under specified exceptions4 one is that such exceptions )ill not be detrimental to the survival of the species+ 5emoving up to %,((( badgers every year is a ma6or cause for concern for the future of the species in "reland by Badger)atch and other environmental groups+ 7ur badger population, once thought to be in the region of '((,((( (-r+ Chris 3mal, Badger and abitat 3urvey of "reland, #$$8! has been decimated+ 2he present population )e can but guess but is thought in be in the region of 9(,((( : $(,(((+ 5emoving consistently high numbers every year from an ever depleting population )ill eventually render the badger species unsustainable+ 2he conse0uences here are unthin*able+ ;nli*e the fox, badgers do not repopulate easily+ Badger cubs have a high mortality rate )ith 8(< of cubs failing to survive their first year+ Welfare problems arise )hen a snared badger leaves orphaned and dependent cubs underground+ Along )ith fearing for her o)n life she also has to suffer the th)arting of her maternal instinct to attend and suc*le her young+ 2here is no accounting for the number of dependent cubs )ho have died underground and )ill continue to die under these horrific circumstances+ 2heirs is a lingering death from hypothermia and starvation+ 2he -ept+ of Agriculture and the Wildlife 3ervice have ignored this annual and largely unseen side of the badger pogrom+ 2his has to be accepted as a deliberate act of cruelty on their part+ 2he need for a closed season has been raised in the past by the Bern Committee+ No action )as ta*en+ 2here is a solution but it never been enforced+ A blind eye has been cast on the problem for far too long+ Why has the NPW3 failed to intervene and insist on a nation1)ide closed season for the duration of the animal=s most vulnerable time4 its breeding period, 2he -A./=s response is a closed period on snaring operates in >ne)= trapping areas from ?anuary:/arch, thus reducing the ris* of snaring nursing so)s+ 7utside the >ne)= areas, its business as usual+ 2he licence allo)s trappers to return time and time again to chec* setts for further evidence of activity+ Any sign of rene)ed activity results in snares being laid again because the instructions from -A./ is total clearance of badgers+ "t can safely be said the chances of finding any member of the species in old trapping areas are indeed slim if not impossible+ According to Agriculture /inister, 3imon Coveny, @2argeted badger removals )ill continue in the medium termA+ 3o, more badgers )ill dieB "s there an annual fixed 0uota, 2he licence is issued specifically for scientific research+ What *ind of >research= demands tens of thousands of dead badgers, @.ield trials in badger vaccination )ere under )ayA said the /inister @and if successful, they )ould be incorporated in the eradication programme+ 2he success of the vaccination programme carries no guarantee that culling )ill cease+ "n fact culling )ill continue alongside the vaccine trials for many years to come+ 2his is no secret+ With the li*elihood that badgers )ill continue to be *illed, )ho is actually responsible for conserving the species, 2he Bern Convention, 2he NPW3, Neither, despite their respective legislative po)ers+ "ts t)enty years since our one and only survey and an update is urgently re0uired+ 2he NPW3 have been handing out the licence to eradicate badgers )ithout 0uestion+ "t is time they stopped dragging their heels+ ;se some of the millions of Euros spent annually )iping out badgers and at least confirm their present population numbers+ 2here is too much at sta*e here+ "ts past time to act+

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4arlia.entar0 9#estion No.221

2o as* the /inister for Agriculture, .ood and the /arine if he )ill confirm )hen the results from several badger vaccination trials )ill be released4 if he )ill cease badger culling in the meantime in vie) of the fact that CD+E million )as spent on culling &,$D$ badgers in '(#' and only 88 less cattle )ere diagnosed )ith Bovine 2B in comparison to '(##, and in vie) of the fact that the transmission route is still un*no)n bet)een badger and cattle4 if he )ill not cease culling, if he )ill provide a closed season bet)een ?anuary and /ay )hen badgers cannot be culled as they are breeding and )hile a detailed survey has not been carried out to clarify present badger populations )hich may be significantly affected due to years of culling practices4 and if he )ill ma*e a statement on the matter+ 1 /aureen 7F3ullivan+ .or W5"22EN ans)er on 2hursday, '(th .ebruary, '(#E+ 5ef NoG 99%DH#E :54;< ProofG '88

The 8inister for Agric#lt#re7 'ood and the 8arineG (3imon Coveney! /y -epartment invests in extensive research in relation to badger ecology and vaccination programmes )ith the intention of developing a vaccination programme, )ith a vie) to replacing badger culling )ith vaccination )hen this is a practicable proposition+ "n this context, my -epartment has been collaborating for some years )ith the Centre for Ieterinary Epidemiology and 5is* Analysis (CIE5A! in ;Cand )ith -E.5A in the ;nited Jingdom on research into a vaccine to control tuberculosis in badgers and to brea* the lin* of infection to cattle+ 5esearch has demonstrated that oral vaccination of badgers in a captive environment )ith BCK vaccine generates high levels of protective immunity against bovine 2B+ .ield trials are also being underta*en at present, involving the vaccination of several hundred badgers over D to E years, )ith continuous monitoring of the population to assess the impact of the vaccine on the incidence of disease in the vaccinated and non1 vaccinated control badger populations+ 3uccess in the field trials is designed to eventually lead to implementation of a vaccination strategy as part of the national 2B control programme+ As it )ill be some years before full results of the trials )ill be available, targeted badger removals )ill continue in the medium term+ Conclusions about the success of badger removal, in terms of bovine 2B levels, cannot be reached on the basis of a single year=s results+ 5ather, trends over a number of years have to be ta*en into account and it is the case that there has been a very significant improvement in the 2B situation in recent years and, in particular, since '((9G the number of reactors has declined by almost 8(< from around D(,((( in '((9 to #8,&(( last year, )hich represented a #8 < reduction on '(#' levels+ 2his is a ne) record lo) since the commencement of the eradication programme in the #$8(s and, for the first time since the programme )as introduced in the #$8(=s, eradication is no) a practicable proposition+ 2he improved situation has also resulted in a

significant reduction in expenditure on the 2b eradication scheme, )hich has fallen from C88m in '((9 to CD(m in '(#D+ While it is difficult to 0uantify the precise impact of badger culling on the reduction in the incidence of 2B in "reland over the past #( years or so, my -epartment believes that much of the improvement is in fact due to the badger removal programme+ "n this regard, it is note)orthy that a recent peer1revie)ed study, Bovine tuberculosis trends in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, 19952010 ( berneth! et al", 201#$, published in the Ieterinary 5ecord, found that, during the period studied, the animal incidence of 2B increased by D9(< in England, by #$(< in Wales and by %E< in Northern "reland+ 7n the other hand, the animal incidence in "reland fell by D'< in the same period (and by a further '(< since the study!+ 3ignificantly, the removal of badgers is not practised in England, Wales or Northern "reland+ 2he badger removal policy )as introduced in light of research conducted over the years by the -epartment and others )hich demonstrated that the eradication of Bovine 2B is not a practicable proposition until the issue of the reservoir of infection in badgers, )hich is seeding infection into the cattle population, is addressed+ Capturing of badgers is not permitted during the months of .ebruary and /arch (the breeding season! in ne) capture areas+ "t is not proposed to extend this period to /ay+ With regard to the badger population, a complaint by the "rish Wildlife 2rust that badgers in "reland )ere under threat )as dismissed by the 3tanding Committee of the Bern Convention )hich noted "reland=s badger population is not being threatened and that badger numbers are being maintained at safe lo) levels+ While estimating )ild animal populations is a difficult tas*, current estimates are that badger numbers in the 5epublic of "reland are in the range of %(,(((1$(,(((+ "n addition, even in those lands )here badger populations are being controlled, the local density of badgers is on a par or greater than the norms found on mainland Europe+ .urthermore, -epartment sponsored research in collaboration )ith 2eagasc is being finalised that concludes that badgers in "reland are abundant every)here and not under any threat of extinction+ 2his research )ill be published shortly )hen it has completed the peer revie) process+

:esponse to the a o2e!

The figures referred to in Abernethys paper, Bovine tuberculosis trends in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, are grossly misleading. The period reviewed by the paper included the UK foot and mouth crisis. England, Wales and orthern !reland all e"perienced e"ceptionally high levels of bT# post foot and mouth. The $outh of !reland largely escaped this phenomenon. The rise in bT# post foot and mouth has been attributed to% a. the suspension of T# testing during the foot and mouth crisis and b. the considerable movement of untested cattle &mainly from high ris' bT# areas( to restoc' regions where whole herds had been culled in a bid to get on top of foot and mouth. $o, the figures in Abernethys paper are evidence that industry practices &or lac' of them( and cattle movement are significantly, if not wholly, to blame for the high UK bT# rates.

)onse*uently, to *uote Abernethys paper in defence of any wildlife bTb intervention is either a grossly incompetent lac' of understanding of the facts or a grossly malicious intention to mislead. +ollowing the foot and mouth crisis, ,A-, almost immediately implemented enhanced cattle testing and movement measures which resulted in a ./0 fall in bT# in the orth. o badgers have ever been culled here. $ince it introduced enhanced cattle measures about a year ago, England has e"perienced a 120 fall in bT# slaughters &comparable to the 1.0 figure *uoted for the $outh of !reland(. Wales by contrast has managed to cut bT# by a creditable 340 in the same period after embar'ing on a programme of enhanced cattle measures and a badger vaccination programme. There is 5T6! 7 in any of the data to attribute the bT# trend in the $outh to badger culling. 6owever there is 8U)6 in the data to attribute the bT# problem and its li'ely resolution to industry practice.

BBC accepts it was wrong to state that badger culling in Republic Ireland reduced TB in cattle
!n a ground9brea'ing decision the ##) today accepted it was wrong to state that badger culling in the -epublic of !reland had reduced incidences of T# in cattle. The statement was following a complaint from a member of the public concerning an article published on the ##) Website on the 21st 8ay 3/12 :6ow did the !rish badger cull play out;< The ##) accepted that the language used in the article had not been sufficiently precise, as it suggested that the badger cull might be a factor in helping control the disease, when this was scientifically unproven. Although data did show a decline in the number of cattle infected with T# in !reland, the ##) accepted there was no conclusive evidence to show that the badger cull had been categorically responsible for any of this decline and so it was inaccurate to say that, along with other measures, it can help control the disease. This conclusion has huge implications, simply because the 7overnment has sought on numerous occasions to =ustify its own badger cull on the apparent >success of 'illing badgers in !reland. !n one such e"ample in the !ndependent on $unday, the ,E+-A $ecretary of $tate, 5wen ?aterson stated% :7o to the -epublic of !reland where you had a spectacular increase in T# until they started to cull badgers, theyve gone down from 4/,/// to 1@,/// cases and its dropping fast.< Those campaigning against the cull say that this is yet another deliberate attempt to deceive the public and the media. -esponding to the ##) decision, ,ominic ,yer, )E5 of the #adger Trust and ?olicy Advisor to )are for the Wild, said% :This decision raises serious concerns over statements made by the 7overnment to 8?s and the public that the large scale culling of badgers in the -epublic of !reland is an effective e"ample of T# reduction in cattle that should be followed in the UK.

:Under the ##) Editorial ruling 5wen ?aterson and others would no longer be able to ma'e statements claiming that culling played a role in reducing T# in !reland, as they would be considered misleading and not based on scientific evidence. The *uestion is, will 5wen ?aterson now withdraw the statements he has made about culling in !reland following the ##) ruling; And will the 7overnment avoid any further statements of this 'ind; :The shoc'ing thing is, the government has been aware from the beginning that the scientific evidence does not underpin the claim that culling badgers reduces bovine T#, but they have continued to ma'e this claim because theyve been allowed to get away with it. The badger cull is a deeply unpopular policy and we believe that even more people would oppose it than already do, if the truth was told consistently. $o its very important the government bases all its statements on peer reviewed evidence and not spin the story to suit its own political agenda.< The ##) ruling could further damage the 7overnments stance on the badger cull, within a wee' of a lea'ed report from the 7overnments !ndependent E"pert ?anel &!E?(, which showed that in addition to dramatically failing to reach 'ill targets during the cull, the pilot cull also failed to reach their own humaneness criteria. e"t Thursday anti9cull campaigners will hold a large protest in 5ld ?alace Aard to coincide with a bac' bench debate in the 6ouses of ?arliament to discuss the failure of the culls in light of the report. Ends

otes to Editors%

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##) Article referred to can be found at http%BBwww.bbc.co.u'BnewsBu'9england9 shropshire933C21D3E +ull ##) ruling attached or available separately on re*uest F file name >##) -esponse to )omplaint +eb 3/12 T# !ndependent on $unday Article referenced was published on 12th 5ctober 3/12 )are for the Wild !nternational is a charity dedicated to the conservation and welfare of wildlife around the world. 5ur mission is to rescue, protect and defend wildlife around the world by committing our resources to deliver the greatest good. Aou can find out more about the charity by visiting www.careforthewild.com. -egistered )harity o. 3@@@/3. #adger Trust promotes the conservation and welfare of badgers and the protection of their setts and habitats for the public benefit. -egistered charity o.111144/

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D( +or further information or for commentBinterview, please contact ?hilip 8ansbridge, )E5 on philipGcareforthewild.com /CCE1 @ED C23 or ,ominic ,yer on dominicdyerGaol.com /C@CD .ED 322.

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BLACK AND WHITE POLITICS; - COSTLY BADGERS

So, here we are in a Brave New Year and the flood of badger mythology / nonsense continues ...apparently Minister, the Hon. wen !raterson recently told both !arliament and the "ford #arming $onference, that the two %!olitically &Science based& ' !ilot badger culls in (los./Somerset were a &)oaring Success&.. which rather proves *oe +shton,s blunt view that the -ey .ualification for being a successful M! is &/o master the art of peddling bullshit&0. +lice in 1onderland )ules 2.... it seems that since culls are allegedly &essential, humane, cost3effective, and science based&, Ministers are &Minded& to role out a further 45 !ilot $ulls in 6547. 8n fact the farcical cull omnishambles with &civil war& in 9ngland:s green and pleasant land, between protestors/cullers, with e"tra policing cost ;< million, so ;7555 per badger of the 4<<4 badgers culled. /his was way below the magic <5 = out of a guestimated population of >555 or ?555 %0' badgers, which apparently &moved the goalposts &as to numbers @3 it was obvious even before the launch that the a cull of <5 = of in truth an un-nown base population was rather daft. /he <5 = was a compromise in order not to contravene the Berne $onvention &eradicating& threatened wildlife . +nd on A9#)+,s own data, only c. 45= would have been infected so 4<5 badgers, of which a mere doBen li-ely to have advanced /B and be &supere"cretors& which Might pose a risvia an uncertain transmission route to other badgers or cows.%see www.badgersandtb.com' bviously this wont have made the slightest difference to controlling the spread of cattle /B which has been spread amongst cattle anyway . So, a very e"pensive way to Not control the spread of /B, and unsustainable given that the A9#)+ budget must cut ;655 Million over the ne"t 7 years. Since even some farmers recognised &shooting free running badgers& was/ is a pretty crass idea, the idea of alternative culling such as by gassing goes bac- to the 4C<5s, but it was hydrogen cyanide, not carbon mono"ide, it was inhumane since even power gassing did not permeate in lethal concentrations in diffuse setts, and it did not cure /B in the /hornbury +von study area .. there were yearly &unconfirmed& outbrea-s after gassing ended, having wiped out the badger population, but these are the DE = of New cattle herd brea-downs usually allegedly &Aue to Badgers&, but in fact are merely due to s-in test reactors caught so early that they do not show /B lesions or identifiable M.bovis , but they are not false positive cases, they A have /B 0 /he biggest farcical claim persisting is that Badger culls or vaccines will ma-e any difference .. the /rue result of the )B$//2rebs $ull %8S( 655<' has been widely misinterpreted @3 since supposedly badgers cause E5 = of cattle herd brea-downs, there should have been half the number of brea-downs %D>7' in cull versus no cull areas , But the cull of 44,555 badgers at a cost of ;E5 million was absolute F9) effect on cattle /B, the accumulated number of brea-downs after D years was 4E?6 in cull areas versus 4??D in no cull areas , i.e. a mere 45? herds, or 45 per >55 s..-m. triplet area .. the only %

surprise was the vagaries of cattle controls did not have a bigger differential inefficacy. NB . /he logical conclusion from all this is that@ 3 +. the badger contribution to cattle /B was absolutely N8G, and B. the whole &!erturbation idea&, that culls might wor- or might ma-e things worse by upsetting the badger population, so that badger vaccines might be the magic bullet %cost ;?75 / badger in 1ales' is a wonderfully insane solution to a non3e"istent problem. sincerely, M.Hanco" M+ "on, e"3(overnment /B !anel , hanco"martinHhotmail.co.u-

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1lai.s that =high n#. er of adgers are sic3> #nder.ined 0 "elsh research %ut of nearl! 1200 bad&ers cau&ht in 'ales for vaccination, none sho(ed an! si&ns of illness" Consistent claims by the ;J government that badgers are very sic* )ith 2B and at a high ris* of spreading disease to other badgers and cattle have been shot to pieces by statistics from the Welsh Kovernment Badger Iaccination Pro6ect+ Environment /inister 7)en Paterson has 6ustified the current badger cull many times by claiming or insinuating that most of the animals being *illed are disease1riddenG and thus culling them is actually a blessing for the badgers themselves+ "n an intervie) )ith the "ndependent Ne)spaper on the #Dth 7ctober he stated that many badgers are @sic*, emaciated animals spe)ing out diseaseA+ e )ent even further in Parliament on #(th 7ctober )hen stating in a Parliamentary Muestion to Angela 3mith /P that @some of the animals )e have shot have been desperately sic* in the final stages of the disease+A But evidence suggests that the badgers are no)here near as sic* as is being made out+ "n a response to a Parliamentary Muestion from Caroline Nucas /P on #9th November )e learned that 7)en Paterson has no evidence to bac* up his claims that shot badgers have 2B, and )as basing his statements on unsubstantiated reports from N.; contractors and farmers involved in the cull : none of )hich are *no)n to have any veterinary 0ualifications+ "n addition, figures from a report into the Welsh Kovernment=s Badger Iaccination Pro6ect sho) that out of ##$D badgers caught to be vaccinated last year, N7NE )ere visibly sic*+ -ominic -yer, Policy Advisor for Care for the Wild, said that very sic* badgers )hich could spread the disease : often referred to as >super excreters= : could have visibly poor s*in condition, )eight loss and ulceration+

@7)en Paterson has misled /P=s, his constituents and the )ider public by stating that nearly E(< of badgers suffer from late stage 2B and are at a high ris* of spreading the disease to other badgers and cattle,A he said+ @But he has no evidence to bac* up these claims and is simply creating a climate of fear to 6ustify the badger cull policy in the face of rapidly gro)ing opposition+ @2he 5andomised Badger Cull found that of $$#$ badger *illed, only #&& (#+&%<! )ere suffering from late stage 2B and therefore could be considered >super excreters=, and this is bac*ed up by the Welsh Kovernment Badger Iaccination Pro6ect, )hich found no badgers falling into this category despite being underta*en in a 2B hot spot area+A While identifying diseased animals by sight is far from ideal, it is the only method left as the government refused to test any of the culled badgers for 2B+ By using >visual evidence= as a )ay to 6ustify the policy, /r Paterson has scored another o)n goal+ 7ther claims he has made that have been sho)n to be untrue or misleading includeG Culling has been successful in the 5epublic of "reland+ But this has been undermined by the fact that Northern "reland has had greater success in lo)ering the rate of 2B : )ithout culling a single badger+ 2he sharp drop in the alleged number of badgers in the cull Oones over the last fe) months )as due to natural causes (leading to the famous >the badgers moved the goalposts= 0uote!+ But the li*elihood of this being true )as dismissed by experts, )ho said that illegal *illing )as a more li*ely explanation, and contradicted by Natural England=s o)n study sites+ 2he level of transmission of 2B from badgers to cattle is 8(<+ 2his figure is disputed by many leading scientific experts, as it is based on a des* based mathematical model, not peer revie)ed field based scientific research+ -ominic -yer addedG @When )e focus on the scientific facts and not the fiction from 7)en Paterson, )e find that a vast ma6ority of the badgers being *illed at huge expense in 3omerset and Kloucestershire are li*ely to be perfectly healthy and )ill pose no ris* to cattle at allA+

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BA6?5: 1$;;IN? 4I;@T T:IA; ABAN6@N56

/r 7)en Paterson, the Coalition and the cattle industry have )asted the lives of many hundreds of badgers and have suffered a humiliating and inevitable setbac* )ith the reported abandonment this )ee*end of extended badger *illing in Kloucestershire P#Q+ 2he controversial free shooting method used departed far beyond any scientific precedent and even beyond its o)n original terms of reference+ Cage trapping and shooting in the 5andomised Badger Culling 2rial lasted only ## days, but /inisters and officials said on six occasions that six )ee*s )ould be necessary for the pilot

trials+ 2hey then extended them to nine )ee*s in 3omerset and a disgraceful #E )ee*s in Kloucestershire+ Natural England is responsible for issuing the culling licences, but its board )as divided )hen it recently decided to allo) the t)o1month extension of the Kloucestershire culling period+ 2his )as against the advice of Prof+ -avid /acdonald, chairman of its 3cience Advisory Committee and a board member+ 2he Badger 2rust, )hich has been in constant communication )ith Natural England and -efra, eventually received the minutes of the meeting disclosed under the Environmental "nformation 5egulations+ As recently as 2uesday (November '&! the 2rust )as pressing for the numbers slaughtered to be revealed+ Prof+ /acdonald, of 7xford ;niversity, told 2he Kuardian last monthG R/y personal opinion as a biologist PisQ not to continue the cull+ 7ne could not have significant comfort that the original proposals )ould deliver gains to farmers+ Extending the cull )ould ma*e the outcome even less predictable and even more unpromising+R P'Q -avid Williams, Chairman of the Badger 2rust, saidG @2his ill1advised cut1rate shambles has involved miscalculation of badger populations, manipulated time scales, huge expense for the taxpayer in policing costs, and the fiasco of repeatedly1missed targets+ "f it )as not so serious it )ould be comical and should never have happened in the first placeA+ "f culling is rolled out in affected areas of England next year as threatened it )ould have to be by the cage trapping and shooting method at up to ten times the cost to farmers+ C7N2AC2 ?ac* 5eedy (#8&E %9D#'$ (%%8 #%D ##(% Iie)s expressed in An Broc are not necessarily those of Badger)atch ("reland! T<:@N5 AA5N$5 ;IS8@:5 ;A"N7 "AT5:'@:6 1IT<. :oI. 3;B3C5"P2"7N NameSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS AddressSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS+ SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS++ 2elH.axSSSSSSSSemailSSSSSSSSSSSS+ " enclose Postal 7rderHChe0ueHBan* -raft (tic*! C% "ndividualSS.amily C#8SS7ptional -onationS+C S+ Please include 3AE for receipt if re0uired

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