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Bovine TB: Badger vaccinations 'no magic bullet' Bovine TB: Parliament backs plans for trial badger culls
(about 1 hour later)
Vaccinating badgers to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in cattle would be expensive and offer no "magic bullet", MPs have said. MPs have rejected Labour calls for trial badger culls to be abandoned.
Governments had invested more than £43m in developing vaccines since 1994 but these could not provide a "complete solution", the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said. The government says the spread of tuberculosis, known to be carried by badgers, in cattle has cost farmers and the wider economy more than £500m.
Ministers have given the go-ahead for badger culls in south-west England. In a Commons debate, supporters of a cull said farmers were at "their wits' end" but critics questioned its effectiveness and urged alternatives.
The animals are known to spread TB. Infected cattle have to be slaughtered. Calls to drop pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset over the summer were rejected by 299 votes to 250.
The government says the disease has already cost farmers and the wider economy more than £500m and that this will rise to £1bn if the badger cull does not take place. Cattle infected by TB have to be slaughtered and 28,000 were destroyed last year.
MPs are currently debating the issue in the House of Commons. Labour has called for an alternative to badger culls but the government is proceeding with six-week pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset. The government says scientific tests have demonstrated the link between infection in badgers and in cattle and that culling significantly reduces incidences of TB.
Ministers say they will examine the results of the six-week pilots before deciding what further action to take.
Under its plans, badgers will be shot in the open without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice.Under its plans, badgers will be shot in the open without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice.
'Non-starter' Animal rights activists say they will take direct action to stop more than 5,000 animals being shot. They argue that vaccinating badgers would be more humane and a more effective way to stop bovine TB spreading.
Animal rights activists say they will take direct action to stop more than 5,000 animals being shot. Speaking in the debate, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative MP for The Cotswolds, said badgers could become "vicious" when caged and seeking to vaccinate a large number of animals in TB hotspots was "simply a non-starter".
They argue that vaccinating badgers would be more humane and a more effective way to stop bovine TB spreading.
In a report published on Wednesday, the cross-party Commons committee said the government should use "every tool" to combat the disease, but vaccination alone would not provide a solution.
The committee's chairman, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, said vaccines "have no impact on already infected animals" and "would be expensive to deploy"
The committee said the current government would have spent £14m on vaccine research alone between 2010 and 2014 and that injecting badgers with vaccines would cost between £2,000 and £4,000 per square kilometre.
Oral vaccine
It said an "oral, baited vaccine" for badgers would be "cheaper and potentially more practical" than trying to inject the animals but such a vaccine was some way off.
Speaking in Wednesday's debate, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative MP for The Cotswolds, said badgers could became "vicious" when caged and seeking to vaccinate a large number of animals in TB hotspots was "simply a non-starter".
And his Conservative colleague Neil Parish, who represents Tiverton and Honiton, said farmers in his Devon constituency were "at their wits' end" over the issue and the government had a duty to act.And his Conservative colleague Neil Parish, who represents Tiverton and Honiton, said farmers in his Devon constituency were "at their wits' end" over the issue and the government had a duty to act.
'Dying in agony'
But Labour's Chris Williamson, MP for Derby North, said there was no scientific evidence to suggest a cull would have the desired effects. In contrast, it would result in animals "dying in agony" and "enraging" public opinion.But Labour's Chris Williamson, MP for Derby North, said there was no scientific evidence to suggest a cull would have the desired effects. In contrast, it would result in animals "dying in agony" and "enraging" public opinion.
"It is absolutely bonkers. It is criminal and it should stop," he told MPs."It is absolutely bonkers. It is criminal and it should stop," he told MPs.
Lib Dem MP Andrew George has suggested ministers are willing to back a vaccination trial in west Cornwall, which could cost about £2m. Lib Dem MP Andrew George has suggested ministers are willing to back a vaccination trial in west Cornwall, which could cost about £2m. The St Ives MP said this would be cheaper than having to police demonstrations against badger culls and that animal welfare organisations could contribute to the cost of the experiment.
The St Ives MP said this would be cheaper than having to police demonstrations against badger culls and that animal welfare organisations could contribute to the cost of the experiment.
The RSPCA, which has co-ordinated opposition to the cull, has indicated it would be prepared to do so.The RSPCA, which has co-ordinated opposition to the cull, has indicated it would be prepared to do so.
"We care equally about badgers and cattle but this cull simply will not work," the campaign group said on Wednesday. "We care equally about badgers and cattle but this cull simply will not work," the campaign group said.
And Philip Mansbridge, head of charity Care for the Wild, accused the government of "offering farmers false hope": "Common sense shows that culling is simply a no-win solution - killing will go on and on, and barely a dent will be made in this devastating disease."
But in a report published on Wednesday, the cross-party Commons committee said the government should use "every tool" to combat the disease. It said vaccination alone would not provide a solution.
The committee's chairman, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, said vaccines "have no impact on already infected animals" and "would be expensive to deploy"
The committee said the government would have spent £14m on vaccine research alone between 2010 and 2014.
It said an "oral, baited vaccine" for badgers would be "cheaper and potentially more practical" than trying to inject the animals but such a vaccine was some way off.