The Secretary of State for Wales – Cheryl Gillan has just announced that a referendum on greater powers for the Welsh will be held in the first quarter of 2011, not in 2010 as previously hoped. The Welsh Assembly elections will probably take place on May 5th, but I’m told that no party wants the two votes at the same time.
Whenever in 2011 the Welsh Assembly asks us for this mandate to increase their control over our lives, the second year of killing badgers in North Pembrokeshire will be under way in an attempt to reduce bovine TB in cattle. By then there will have been many more well publicised and high profile confrontations between Welsh Assembly killing squads with police in attendance, and landowners determined not to allow strangers with traps, guns and balaclavas onto their land.
More videos will be posted on websites, blogs will have pictures of dead badgers, more meetings such as the one I attended last Monday with hundreds of opponents will have been held. More commentators , politicians and celebrities will have captured the media spotlight with their opposition and I expect documentaries on the folly of the policy will have been broadcast causing huge embarrassment to the architects of the plan. Welsh politicians will be held in contempt for their blatant disregard of science and pig-headed determination to impose a flawed policy against a protected species which could be vaccinated at less cost and with greater effectiveness.
The refrain will understandably be heard throughout Wales:
“If they misuse the powers they already have, why should we be giving them more?“
As a supporter of more power being moved from Westminster to Welsh decision makers I’m dismayed by this unnecessary public relations disaster which could obscure many of the good decisions which have been made by the Welsh Assembly.
Mounting a campaign over the coming months linking the misuse of current powers with the referendum for more power and using the badger cull as an example would be a piece of cake for the “NO” camp. I knocked up the banner below in 10 minutes. It’s a gift which will keep on giving the nearer we get to the vote, which will undoubtedly be lost.
Who will be able to say when the inquest is held into the corpse of greater powers referendum that the badgers didn’t play their part?
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2 Responses to “Welsh Assembly greater powers referendum – the badgers revenge?” [latest at bottom]
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Man Trafod - Rhowch sylwad yma
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Bydd eich ateb yn cael ei cymedroli, ac ni fydd yn ymaddangos yn syth. Medrwch paratoi eich tecst yn y rhaglen word cyn ei rhoi yn y bocs, ond ni fydd elfennau megis trwmder tecst a lliw yn ymddangos.
I read Elin Jones’ statement re the badger cull in the Tivyside with interest. It is clear that whilst she has engaged with the farming community she has not done so with regards to all those who are opposed to the cull. I strongly suspect, going by the well attended PAC meetings, (I understand she has declined invitations to attend their meetings) that there may well be more than just a ‘small number of individuals’ against the cull. Surely these people have a right to peacefully protest, particularly when there is even confusion amongst scientists and experts regarding the benefits of such a cull? She goes on to say she wishes to protect the Welsh farming industry, yet I know that it is the current zero tolerance, inflexible policy that is causing, and continues to cause the problems for us and many of our fellow farmers – not the disease.
She says she wants to ‘protect the interests of the taxpayer during these difficult times’, yet no cost benefit analysis has been done regarding the financial benefit of the cull and maybe such resources would be better utilised in other areas, particularly if it really will achieve only a 6-9% reduction and for just a two year period. This seems to be poor value for money and will not help farmers, particularly if it has negative effects on the tourism and farming industries. Maybe she should organise an open public meeting so we can see just how people really feel about the issue.
Why isn’t WAG concentrating instead on introducing a vaccination programme for cattle? Or have too many resources gone into the badger/cattle link (and if culls proceed and don’t work, what species will be selected as the next scapegoat?).
I understand there is a BCG vaccine available now for cattle which offers reasonable protection and is particularly effective for calves. The existing testing regime could be phased out and restricted to high risk herds only. It would appear that the main reason for the reluctance to start a vaccination programme is vaccinated cattle would show up as positive reactors with the skin test – currently the only approved test for use in the EU (there are alternative tests available bit these are not approved for some reason). However, the skin test is not a perfect test (and yet the overall TB status off an area is based solely on the results of this test). It indicates that the animal has mounted an immune response capable of recognising M. bovis and does not conclude actual infection, so many cattle are being killed needlessly. It means that animals have been exposed to a bacterium that can cause TB at some point in their life (or have been vaccinated!).
Current EU regulations mean that vaccinated cattle cannot be exported to the rest of the EU, as current tests cannot distinguish between infected and vaccinated animals. In reality this does not matter for meat and dairy products as pasteurisaion and cooking kills the bacteria that causes bTB (lesioned cattle do go into the foodchain once affected areas have been removed). The only products at any risk would be those used in their raw state, where additional precautions would be needed. Many countries, where bTB is endemic or only partially controlled, export products to the UK.
The real reason for the existing eradication policy in the UK is to comply with EU regulations that insist on its countries achieving TB-free status. This is to protect the market for live exports of cattle. However, if one looks at the export figures for Great Britain over the last few years, it is difficult how such a decision can be justified in cost terms for the UK.
In 2006 89,567 cattle were exported with a value of £3,332,000
In 2007 85,487 cattle were exported with a value of £2,548,1457
In 2008 51.809 cattle were exported with a value of £1,457,000
In 2009 11.050 cattle were exported with a value of £152,000
The numbers and value is falling year-on-year and, even more surprising, is the fact that the value of this market is considerably less than the annual costs of the existing eradication policy for bTB. Surely this makes a vaccination programme for cattle viable and an appropriate case should be made to the EU in this respect? Of course it would need to be approved by the politicians, farming unions, veterinary professions and EU – and here we hit the stumbling blocks ….
Its not only the referendum being held next year. In May 1011 there are elections to the Welsh Assembly. Elin Jones has already admitted she is likely to lose her seat and may not even stand.She continues to state that the opposition to the cull is a very small minority but she expects to lose her 4000 majority! Then again she claimed in court that a 6 to 9% reduction in TB outbreaks due to badgers was significant.
To read what she said to the farmers use this link
http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/livestock-news/jones-holds-firm-on-badger-cull-amid-protests/32589.article