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To: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Call for a review into uk Badger Cull
We are calling on the UK government to include a review of badger culling in the recently announced review of the current bTB strategy.
Why is this important?
Some research suggests that only 17 - 26% of badgers carry bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and that badger to cattle transmission of bTB accounts for only 5.7% of badger related bTB incidence in cattle, while cattle to cattle transmission accounts for the remaining 94.3%. There is mounting evidence that the current UK badger cull is not effective in reducing bTB in cattle and may even increase the risk of badger to cattle bTB transmission.
Other studies suggest that it may take 3-4 years for effects of badger culling on bTB in cattle to be observed. This makes the recently announced bTB strategy review the perfect opportunity for a review into badger culling which began with pilot culls in 2013.
There is also the risk that badger culling could risk already declining hedgehog populations since studies have shown that badger culls may result in increased numbers of red foxes in some areas. This may lead to a reduction in red fox prey species like hedgehogs.
References
Giesler, R. and Ares, E., 2018. House of Commons Library, Badger Culling in England [pdf] Available at: <http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06837#fullreport> [Accessed 17 April 2018]
Gormley, E., NiBhuachalla, D., O’Keeffe, J., Murphy, D., Aldwell, F.E., Fitzsimons, T., Stanley, P., Tratalos, J.A., McGrath, G., Fogarty, N., Kenny, K., More, S.J., Messam, L.L.McV. and Corner, L.A.L., 2017. Oral Vaccination of Free-Living Badgers (Meles meles) with Bacille Calmette Gue’rin (BCG) Vaccine Confers Protection against Tuberculosis. PLoS ONE, [e-journal] 12(1), e0168851. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 19 April 2018]
Donnelly, C.A. and Nouvellet, P., 2013. The Contribution of Badgers to Confirmed Tuberculosis in Cattle in High-Incidence Areas in England. PLoS Currents [e-journal] 5. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 21 April 2018]
Godfrey, H.C.J., Donnelly, C.A., Kao, R.R., Macdonald, D.W., McDonald, R.A., Petrokofsky, G., Wood, J.L.N., Woodroffe, R., Young, D.B. and McLean, A.R., 2013. A restatement of the natural science evidence base relevant to the control of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain. Proceedings. Biological Sciences, [e-journal] 280(1768) pp.16-34. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 20 April 2018]
Bielby, J., Donnelly, C.A., Pope, L.C., Burke, T. and Woodroffe, R., 2014. Badger responses to small-scale culling may compromise targeted control of bovine tuberculosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. [online] 24 June. 111(25), pp.9193-9198. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library: <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 3 May 2018]
Giesler, R. and Ares, E., 2018. House of Commons Library, Badger Culling in England [pdf] Available at: <http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06837#fullreport> [Accessed 17 April 2018]
Carter, S.P., Delahay, R.J., Smith, G.C., MacDonald, D.W., Riordan, P., Etherington, T.R., Pimley, E.R., Walker, N.J., Cheeseman, C.L., 2007. Culling-induced social perturbation in Eurasian badgers Meles meles and the management of TB in cattle: an analysis of a critical problem in applied ecology. Proceedings. Biological Sciences, [e-journal] 274(1626), pp.2769-2777. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 21 April 2018]
Donnelly, C.A., Bento, A.I., Goodchild, A.V., Downs, S.H., 2015. Exploration of the power or routine surveillance data to assess the impacts of industry-led badger culling on bovine tuberculosis incidence in cattle herds. Veterinary Record [online] 15 September. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 25 April 2018]
6. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2018. Policy paper, Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) strategy review 2018: Terms of reference. [online] Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-strategy-for-achieving-bovine-tuberculosis-free-status-for-england-2018-review/bovine-tuberculosis-btb-strategy-review-2018-terms-of-reference> [Accessed 1 May 2018]
Casanovas, J.G., Barrull, J., Mate, I., Zorrilla, J.M., Ruiz-Olmo, J., Gosalbez, J., Salicru, M., 2012. Shaping carnivore communities by predator control: competitor release revisited. Ecological Research. [e-journal] 27(3), pp.603-614. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 11 April 2018]
Lozano, J., Casanovas, J.G., Vigos, E. and Zorrilla, J.M., 2013. The competitor release effect applied to carnivore species: how red foxes can increase in numbers when persecuted. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation. [e-journal] 36(1), pp.37-47. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 11 April 2018]
Caut, S., Casanovas, J.G., Virgos, E., Lozano, J., Witimer, G.W., Courchamp, F., 2007. Rats dying for mice: Modelling the competitor release effect. Austral Ecology. [e-journal] 32(8), pp.858-868, Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 28 April 2018]
Hof, A. and Bright, P., 2016. Quantifying the long-term decline of the West European hedgehog in England by subsampling citizen-science datasets. European Journal of Wildlife Research, [e-journal] 62(4), pp.407-413. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 6 January 2018]
