Far from black and white

BOVINE TB (bTB) should not be a political issue', the NFU has warned, in response to Labour proposals to ban culling licences from 2024.

- James Fisher

In a meeting with Defra minister Richard Benyon, the farming union stressed that the Government's continued bTB eradication strategy should be based on 'sound scientific evidence. The NFU has cited the recently published Birch Review, which 'demonstrated the effectiveness of including badger culling as part of a holistic strategy to help eradicate bTB from England'. According to the review, bTB in herds can be reduced by 56% in areas where there has been four years of culling; the Birch Review follows the independent Godfray Review, which recommended wildlife control 'as an important part of the current TB eradication strategy,' the NFU added.