Sir, – Following the commencement of badger culling in Britain this week it is worth pointing out that since culling began in Ireland in 1984 90,000 badgers have been killed in this country. Up to 80 per cent of these animals are healthy and so pose no threat to cattle herds. Meanwhile, the incidence of bovine TB (bTB) has not fallen dramatically over this period.
The Irish Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for an end to the Department of Agriculture’s indiscriminate culling programme that sees up to 6,000 snares set in the countryside every evening. We believe this programme is a threat to the conservation of this beautiful animal that is an iconic part of our natural heritage.
This summer the Northern Ireland Executive announced that it would be testing badgers in the field and only killing those that are infected with bTB. We would support this approach, which would not only protect badgers but would be beneficial in controlling the spread of the disease among cattle. It is hoped that our Minister for Agriculture will see the sense in this approach and have the courage to immediately change a policy that is not working. – Yours, etc,