Queen guitarist Brian May has joined wildlife experts in Westminster to urge the Government to abandon the next stage of the badger cull, which is due to resume this Autumn.
The scheme was trialled in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset as part of efforts to fight TB in cattle. Natural England is now considering extending culling licences across nine counties including a few in the West Country.
Counties being considered for the licence:
Cheshire
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Gloucestershire
Herefordshire
Somerset
Wiltshire
Worcestershire T
he Government ‘wants to see more’ badger culls after the ‘success’ of West culls. Credit: PA
The musician Brian May, who’s been trying for years to change the badger cull policy, was in Westminster to unveil his latest campaign tool, a badger mosaic made up of tiny selfies of celebrities and members of the public opposed to the cull.
Credit: ITV News
“How can you possibly justify rolling out a cull when the existing cull hasn’t worked. They called it a pilot cull, whether it is or not doesn’t really matter. It’s certainly not a scientific experiment.
The only proper scientific experiment that’s been done concluded, after killing 11 thousand badgers, that culling badgers can make no meaningful contribution to the control of TB in cattle and that still stands.”
– Brian May
He hopes a new Prime Minister and perhaps a new Environment Secretary might take the opportunity to take a fresh look at this issue – the question is, with everything else there is to deal with, how high it will be on Theresa May’s agenda.
PLYMOUTH HERALD
Brian May tells the Herald why he opposes the badger cull roll-out
12 July 2016
Musician and animal right’s activist Brian May is visiting Westminster today to urge the Government to abandon plans to extend the badger culling programme.
He took the time to speak the Herald/WMN to explain why he thinks ministers should change their mind: READ MORE –
— PETA
12 July 2016
Huge ‘Selfie Mosaic’ Delivered to Politicians Ahead of Decision on Cruel Badger Cull
Today, we were at Westminster delivering a huge photo mosaic made with hundreds of selfies of people who want to stop the cruel badger cull.
PETA – along with other members of Team Badger, including Brian May and wildlife experts – met with politicians to urge them to halt plans to kill up to 100,000 more of Britain’s badgers across England. Scientists Professor Rosie Woodroffe, Professor John Bourne and Professor Ranald Munro also delivered expert testimonies on the ineffectiveness of the cull.
Over the past three years, 4,000 badgers have been shot in “pilot” badger culls in Dorset, Somerset and Gloucestershire. An independent report commissioned by the government found that these killings were both ineffective and inhumane, with many animals taking five minutes or more to die. Making animals suffer in this way is completely unacceptable – and is doubly outrageous given that there’s no sound scientific evidence that killing badgers is an efficient way to tackle bovine tuberculosis.
The cull is also absurdly expensive. So far, the massacre has cost taxpayers an estimated £6,700 per badger killed.
Yet astonishingly, the government is considering rolling out the cull to a further nine counties in England. Over 100,000 more badgers could be killed. We need to do everything we can to stop this from happening.
Thank you to everyone who uploaded their selfie to the big badger mosaic. While we wait for the government to make its decision, please continue to show support for Britain’s badgers by sharing messages on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #ShootSelfiesNotBadgers.