badger cull to be phased out

Yesterday the Government finally responded to the Godfray Review of 2018, announcing a series of changes to its bovine TB policy. We were delighted to hear that these changes included a phasing out of the inhumane and ineffective badger cull. Since it began the badger cull has led to the deaths of around 100,000 badgers (last year’s statistics are still to be released), and yet there has been a negligible reduction in the levels of bovine TB and a weight of scientific evidence showing it to be an ineffective means of disease control.

For years, IFAW has campaigned against the cull, most recently in coalition with a number of other organisations to produce our own response to the Godfray Review. We met with departmental officials and MPs to promote our recommendations and call for a series of practical changes to the policy that would not only safeguard badgers but also benefit farmers and their cattle. As part of this campaign effort, around 4,000 IFAW supporters wrote to their MP calling for these recommendations to be adopted.

Having read the Government’s response it is clear that they were listening. The new five-year plan includes phasing out the intensive culling of badgers, replacing culls with badger vaccination schemes, improving biosecurity on farms, more rigorous testing of cattle and improved resources for farmers.

The new plan unfortunately leaves open the option for future culling based on scientific assessment, and many of the proposed changes are dependent on future research and consultations. Yet, from reading the document, it is clear that the Government is moving in the right direction and this should be commended. Our job now as campaigners will be to hold the Government to account to ensure policy change is rapid and meaningful.

While there is still a way to go and much work to be done, we should celebrate good news and I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our supporters and others who have worked hard on this campaign and the many inspiring campaigners I have had the opportunity to work alongside. Let us hope this is a turning point.