BVA response to new Defra measures to eradicate Bovine TB
Sean Wensley, President of the British Veterinary Association, said:
“BVA recognises the need to control the wildlife reservoir of disease as part of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine TB. Therefore, control measures in cattle must be accompanied by simultaneous and coordinated control measures in badgers and susceptible farmed species.
“For these reasons, BVA supports the wider roll-out of culling to carefully selected areas where badgers are regarded as a significant contributor to the high incidence of bovine TB in cattle, through the use of cage trapping and shooting only; we do not support the continued use of controlled shooting as part of the badger control policy.”
“We welcome the announced consultations on further measures to help tackle bovine TB, and we will be consulting our members to ensure an evidence-based veterinary voice continues to be fed into the Government’s strategy to control and eradicate this disease.”
