To Cull or not to cull.

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Joonsy

Native
Jul 24, 2008
1,483
3
UK
farmers should be properly compensated until a better solution is found

when cattle found to have TB are destroyed actually i thought farmers were compensated for the loss of the cattle, just something i saw on the countryfile programme some time ago, i seem to remember adam on the programme saying he wouold be compensated by the government when his cattle proved positive for TB , is it not so (perhaps i misheard him), or if they are do they get full market value, would be interested to know which it is.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,740
1,989
Mercia
There is compensation - but its highly abritary - my neighbour lost a pedigree bull and compensation was under two grand - the bull was worth far more than that.

And no, farmers are not "heavily subsidised", the idea is absurd. They are paid to grow certain things or carry out certain management activities. Most I know would far rather all the stupid regulations - and the fees that go with them - were removed.

If it comes to it - and we are opposed to killing animals - why slaughter cows with TB? Because they are disease vector to humans. It has been proven that badgers are also a human disease vector. So why kill one and not the other? Wheres the logic there (other than bunny hugging logic)?
 

andybysea

Full Member
Oct 15, 2008
2,609
0
South east Scotland.
I disagree, i havent got details but the farmer on the land i used to live,and help out admited/told me he got subsides.(and one of the ones he told me the amount given certainly was'nt a small amount).
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,740
1,989
Mercia
Disagree away. Theres a man works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis as well.

The whole cull thing is utterly absurd. Two animals both of which can infect humans and each other. One is a food source, one is not. Either can communicate a disease to people (who can of course be vaccinated against TB). When there is an outbreak, we kill the food source, leave the fluffy wild animal and allow it to continue infecting humans and re-infect the food source.

A clearer example of an absurd emotive logic failure is hard to imagine. It may help the eco consience of the fluffy bunny brigade, but its not a basis for legislation.
 

Retired Member southey

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jun 4, 2006
11,098
13
your house!
Disagree away. Theres a man works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis as well.

The whole cull thing is utterly absurd. Two animals both of which can infect humans and each other. One is a food source, one is not. Either can communicate a disease to people (who can of course be vaccinated against TB). When there is an outbreak, we kill the food source, leave the fluffy wild animal and allow it to continue infecting humans and re-infect the food source.

A clearer example of an absurd emotive logic failure is hard to imagine. It may help the eco consience of the fluffy bunny brigade, but its not a basis for legislation.


Brings me back to my original posts! Cow tastes better, why not cook the lot!
 

dwardo

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 30, 2006
6,459
480
46
Nr Chester
Protecting the grass isn't the primary reason for confining cattle. Rather their confined when you want to purge the grass from their systems with grain to enhance taste, such as a few weeks before slaughter or while milking.

Right had no idea. I thought it was a case of if left outside for longer periods they would have nothing to eat after killing off all the grass and not giving it time to recover.
 

mickeyluv

Tenderfoot
Nov 2, 2010
88
9
derbyshire
I dont post on here very often, im more of a listener, but as a dairy farmers son can I just point out that the 'subsidies' we recieve are to do with improving the countryside for wildlife. We get a payment for the amount of hedges, woods, field margins, wetlands etc that we have on the farm. If you remove the sfp then the countryside would look different very quickly as this is what it would take to compete with the big european farms. As regards the badger issue the best way would be to take them of the protected list, that way only the problem animals would be affected.

ps. the above post is rubbish. If grass grew all year round then cows would be out all year round.
 
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shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
.....As regards the badger issue the best way would be to take them of the protected list, that way only the problem animals would be affected.......

but if badgers are shown to be causing a problem then they're not protected, so as it stands at the moment ..."only the problem animals are affected."

cheers

stuart
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,740
1,989
Mercia
Indeed they do. They amount of shooting and spraying that happens over "produce" fields exterminates anything larger than bacteria. Livestock pasture fields and the stock hedges are havens for wildlife. Vegetable fields are monoculture deserts.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,740
1,989
Mercia
British Red, I agree, no I was talking about their attitude towards Mr Badger, I was thinking that they would not regard the TB as a threat...perhaps.

Sure - they kill other things (pigeons, beetles, butterflies, dragonflies, collared doves, mice, rats etc.) which livestock farmers don't worry about. But you can't farm without controlling predating lifeforms - be in something as simple as blight or as complex as deer. Its part of farming.
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
2,032
992
Devon
Nothing against Farmers myself, hang I eat their produce, just against the cull.
I am sure that fresh produce farmers will have a different outlook to livestock Farmers.

Having seen how much damage they do I expect many 'fresh produce farmers' would also like to control troublesome badgers. While I'm yet to be convinced on the merits of a cull for TB I'm also not convinced they need as much protection as they get.
 

Bushwhacker

Banned
Jun 26, 2008
3,882
8
Dorset
I was one of the people to be asked if I'd trap and vaccinate badgers. I declined as I believe it would be a fruitless task, same goes for shooting them - you can't trap them all and you can't shoot them all. I think the root cause and not the spread needs to be looked at. Why is there TB in the first instance?
 

Retired Member southey

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jun 4, 2006
11,098
13
your house!
i was one of the people to be asked if i'd trap and vaccinate badgers. I declined as i believe it would be a fruitless task, same goes for shooting them - you can't trap them all and you can't shoot them all. I think the root cause and not the spread needs to be looked at. Why is there tb in the first instance?

the french!
 

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