[Brian would like to share letter from friendly farmers, Dave and Gill – see LETTERS – and his reply]
Thanks Dave and Gill.
Good to hear from you again. I’d like to publish what you say this time as well, if that’s OK with you. Partly because information and views from farmers who are not locked into the culling mind-set are helpful to those of us who are looking for ways to minimise cruelty out there. But also because you mention the rethink bTB group, and I think this is something we need to keep in mind. Yes, we have been communicating with the Rethink people for the last few weeks, and we think that what they say needs to be heard in this debate … and listened to by those making decisions.
Anyone who feels involved in the bTB/Cattle/Badger will benefit from reading this material – http://www.rethinkbtb.org and BTB_rethink_2nd_edition.pdf.
You may have noticed that we at Save-Me are not shouting from the rooftops right now. We are doing some rethinking ourselves, and trying to talk to as many people in the field as we can, and gather as much wisdom as we can, before going out and beating drums. My feeling for while now has been (see my Save-Me note …. SAVE-ME policy on preventing a Badger cull) that we who care about animal welfare will not do ourselves or the animals any favours if we start attacking farmers across the board in the UK, many of whom, like you, are very concerned indeed with the health and well-being of their own animals and the wild animals around them. So we are seeking more and more to promote open talking and to seek common ground among all the groups involved in this difficult scenario, in which there is no doubt that the future health of the entire countryside is at stake.
Many thanks
Bri