Badger cull change is speculated

21 June 2011 Last updated at 06:58 GMT Cull plans were revived by the last government in March There is speculation that an announcement expected on controlling TB in cattle will mean a change in plans to cull badgers.

Environment Minister John Griffiths is due to make a statement on bovine tuberculosis (TB) policy on Tuesday.

Farming unions want ministers to stick with the cull - an attempt by the previous Labour-Plaid Cymru coalition government to combat TB in cattle.

First Minister Carwyn Jones has refused to say if the cull will go ahead.

The previous government planned the cull - advocated by then rural affairs minister Plaid's Elin Jones - alongside other measures to control TB in cattle in an area of west Wales.

The cull was revived in March, eight months after the coalition was forced to shelve the proposal following a legal challenge by the Badger Trust.

'Very grim day'

Continue reading the main story Iolo ap Dafydd BBC Wales environment correspondent

Will he keep to a badger cull, or will he try and duck out of it? Environment Minister John Griffiths has been tight-lipped and probably understandably nervous before his expected announcement on bovine TB.

The guessing is there may be a change, or partial change on the way. But the Welsh Labour party needs to show what new scientific evidence proves a delay, a halt or a modified policy merits a change.

Labour, now in government, will be wary of being seen to waste the long and expensive efforts undertaken by the previous coalition government of Labour and Plaid Cymru in the last three years, and throw that aside. However, it may be nervous of another legal challenge.

But it will be hard to just kick this into the long grass, as cattle farmers, especially in Pembrokeshire, have to work under stricter cattle movement controls that elsewhere. Bovine tuberculosis has cost Welsh taxpayers a ?100m during the past decade, as compensation payments for slaughtering infected cattle.

It will be interesting also if Mr Griffiths will change his stance since the plenary vote in March when he voted in support of the existing policy.

Maybe public opinion and playing a waiting game to see what the UK government might do in England, will all play a part in Tuesday's announcement.

Labour, who are now governing alone, promised a "science-led" approach towards bovine TB in its manifesto for May's assembly election.

Plaid rural affairs spokesman Llyr Huws Gruffydd told BBC Radio Wales that the Welsh Government must stick to the cull plan.

"If they don't it will be a very grim day for Welsh farming," he said.

"We've been through this quite recently and the decision was made that the cull was one part of a wider programme which includes other elements like increased bio-security and tighter restrictions on animal movement."

'Horrible disease'

Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black, an opponent of the cull, said: "I hope the government is going to announce they've finally taken notice of the science, abort the cull and introduce a vaccination program.

"The impact of a cull is to spread TB. A vaccination program would reduce the instances of TB."

NFU Cymru deputy president Stephen James called on Mr Griffiths to "do the right thing", adding: "We look to the new Welsh Government to continue and progress their commitment and to now take tangible action with a view to eradicating this horrible disease."

FUW TB spokesman Brian Walters said: "The previous Welsh Government's position was based on firm science, and a protracted review of the science will only make matters worse."

Celia Thomas, chairwoman of Pembrokeshire Against the Cull, said the government should be looking at ways to vaccinate badgers.

"It's important to say we are not just sitting back. We are seriously looking at trying to get vaccination underway because TB is a huge problem," she said.

The Badger Trust said they would refrain from commenting until after the announcement was made.

View the original article here