Farmer blasts 'ludicrous' end to badger cull after 'shattering' effects of bovine tuberculosis

Save British Food campaigner Liz Webster told LBC the government's decision not to extend the controversial badger cull is "ludicrous".

Those opposing the badger cull "care about animals, but they don't care about cows," she argued.

"It doesn't make any sense."

Culling is used to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle by reducing badger populations.

Mrs Webster said that the stress and anxiety of bTB coming to her farm, with her herd of 300 animals in Wiltshire, makes her apprehensive of the cull ending.

She said: "It's absolutely shattering. The whole thing of TB testing, it is like a raid on you."

In the last decade alone, 274,000 cattle have been compulsorily slaughtered in England, and over 230,000 badgers have been culled for disease control purposes since 2013.

While testing their herd in late autumn last year, Mrs Webster found her pedigree bull could have been positive for bTB.

"You have to go through a massive process, bringing all the animals in, putting them all through the crush, including the babies as well," she said.

"The last one, our bull, had to go."

She added: "It's sad. It's like losing a pet."

Additionally, the bull cost nearly £5,500.

Read More: Jeremy Clarkson 'devastated' after Diddly Squat Farm hit by TB outbreak

Read More: 'It needs to be stopped' - MPs call for delay to farms tax

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) operates a cattle compensation system based on the average prices paid for cattle. Compensation rates are updated every month to reflect any changes in market prices.

National Farming Union President Tom Bradshaw said: “Even with the reductions in breakdowns in herds over recent years, TB continues to devastate thousands of farming families across the country.

“We have always pushed for a comprehensive TB eradication strategy which is based on sound science and evidence.

"It’s important we continue to utilise all the tools which are proven to be effective in managing this terrible disease, while also pressing ahead with more practical research on alternative control measures.”

The Government said in August last year that its new "holistic" strategy to eradicate bTB includes a badger vaccinator field force to increase vaccination rates, measures to control cattle, a nationwide wildlife monitoring programme and a pledge to speed up work on a cattle vaccine.

Currently, government guidance states farmers must test their cattle for TB once every six months if your herd is in the High Risk Area, once a year or once every 6 months if your herd is in the Edge Area and once every four years if your herd is in the Low Risk Area.

The Government aims to eradicate bTV by 2038 and hopes the new strategy will help England become officially TB free (OTF), as well as protect farmers' livelihoods.

Mrs Webster argued that the end of the cull is "absolutely ludicrous" as "you cannot vaccinate badgers. They live underground."

She added: "They're all so really, really vicious. They're not friendly, fluffy little things. They are aggressive."

A new Badger Vaccinator Field Force is set to roll out next year, to try to drive down TB rates while protecting badgers.

Mrs Webster concluded we should be focusing on "good quality food, affordability and looking after a countryside" rather than "protecting badgers that are not under threat anyway".

The Mammal Society said "the badger is not an endangered species in Britain – on the contrary, it is very successful."

"It has, however, been seriously persecuted in the distant and recent past and so is legally protected."

A Defra spokesperson said: "Bovine TB is a devastating disease that destroys farmers’ livelihoods. Our hearts go out to all farms suffering from positive cases.

"The Government and its agencies are working hard to introduce measures to reduce the spread of TB, with work underway on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy."

They added: "We are determined to eradicate Bovine TB and are building on a record year for badger vaccinations which we are rapidly rolling out to help protect farmers’ livestock."

Badger Trust and the Wiltshire Badger Group were contacted for comment by LBC.

This comes as Jeremy Clarkson revealed that his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire had been hit by a widespread TB outbreak.

The 65-year-old broadcaster-turned-farmer revealed on social media that his staff are "devastated' by the 'bad news".

Taking to X on Thursday, the presenter tweeted: "Bad news from Diddly Squat. We’ve gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated".

Spanning four seasons, the Amazon show follows the former Top Gear presenter as he attempts to run his 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds.

Located in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the estate rose to fame off the back of the show, with the series documenting his newly found passion for agriculture.