SW FARMERS PIN HOPES ON TB ERADICATION GROUP
August 3, 2009 9:51 AM
Nick Harvey notes: "It is reassuring that there are finally signs that defra is grasping the mettle in the fight against Bovine TB. Next spring under a £40 million programme defra is to start trapping and vaccinating Badgers in known TB hotspots.
"Farmers argue that this is not before time as its taken us 10 years to get to this stage. Cattle slaughtering reached 16,000 by the end of April and is anticipated to reach 50,000 by the end of the year (10,000 more than 2008). The taxpayer has little appreciation of the financial cost this is having.
"While farmers are putting their faith in the TB Eradication group the NFU believes it could now take up to 10 years to tackle the problem."
NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond says: "Unless you tackle this disease in all reservoirs, and that is the cattle population and the wildlife population, we are never, ever going to eradicate this disease."
Nick concludes: "I have argued long and hard that something has to be done. The Government has to acknowledge that Bovine TB is completely out of control and that it has a public duty to act once and for all."
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