Badger cull purpose is to reduce bovine TB in cattle
Reports that the badger culls are primarily to protect human health are wrong.
皇冠体育app myth
Several newspapers including 皇冠体育app Sunday Times, 皇冠体育app Daily Mirror, 皇冠体育app Sun and 皇冠体育app Daily Mail have claimed that the purpose of the badger culls this summer are primarily to protect human health.
皇冠体育app truth
皇冠体育app purpose of culling badgers is to reduce bovine TB in cattle, due to the disease鈥檚 huge impact on the farming industry, rural communities and taxpayers. Last year 28,000 cattle were slaughtered as a result of bovine TB, and fighting the disease cost the taxpayer 拢100 million. If the disease is not brought under control by tackling TB in cattle and wildlife, costs to the tax payer over the next ten years could top 拢1 billion.
While humans can contract TB, it is currently quite rare and those who have close contact with infected animals or who drink unpasteurised milk are most at risk. Just this week, the European Food Safety Authority published a scientific opinion which stated that there is no evidence of meat-borne transmission of bovine TB in the EU.