In a leaflet sent to 26,000 homes in Wales, the WAG printed an outrageous untruth about badger culling. It may well invalidate this Welsh consultation.
This is an amazing story. It’s no wonder that the integrity of the Welsh Government is being widely questioned. It smacks of foul play.
They are currently claiming (see our BADGER NEWS for the full story) that the outrageously false claim in their leaflet occurred because “an error occurred in the editing”. But looking at the wording, it’s extremely hard to believe this story.
The leaflet says:
“Previous trials have shown that culling badgers can reduce TB in cattle, by as much as 50% in six months.”
They say this should have read:
“Previous trials have shown that culling badgers can reduce TB in cattle. Culling can start to show a benefit in six months.”
This in itself is a highly contentious claim, but since what the WAG actually printed is such a powerful lie, and could have an entirely unfair effect on the way people respond to the consultation, the validity of the consultation must be in question. You have to laugh, really … did the ‘careless editor’ just throw in the figure of 50 per cent then Outrageous. I know how carefully we and the Badger Trust check and re-check everything that we put out … it’s beyond belief that a body with so much responsibility to the public can allow an ‘error’ like this to go out on a printed sheet.
The whole behaviour of the WAG on this matter is, of a course, a disgrace. They were judged to be in the wrong on three counts in the recent Judicial Review – brought by the Badger Trust. But Elin Jones and her blood-thristy comrades refuse to give in gracefully. The longer this goes on, the clearer it becomes that the WAG is desperately clinging to an unsound, immoral and hugely unpopular intent. It’s an appalling mess. It is time for the WAG to concede that it needs to construct a new policy based on vaccination of badgers.
Brian
[See also “Corrections to Bovine TB Leaflet”] www.wales.gov.uk 4 Nov 2010