Tory Badger Cull to Cost Farmers
UK - The Conservatives proposal for a targeted badger cull aimed at preventing bovine tuberculosis (TB) could be paid for by farmers.
14 September 2009
1 minute read
Jim Paice, Shadow Farm Minister, has toured TB hot-spots across the south-west England and proposed the early stages of a badger cull should the Conservatives win the next General Election. The cull would be targeted at setts most likely to be infected, rather than deciding to cull all badgers in any particular area reportsThe Farmers Weekly.
Although Mr Paice did not put a figure on how much individual farmers would be charged, he did not believe that any more money would be allocated through the government budget and so the money would have to come from DEFRA or farmers.
The government is expected to spend £100m, combating bovine TB this year alone. The Tories believe that by bringing the disease under control through a targeted badger cull, money could be saved in the long-run.
The chairman of the National Beef Association believed that most farmers would be prepared to contrinute to the cost of a cull and that public opposition to a cull could be overcome through explaining the threat of infected badgers.
TheCattleSite News Desk
