Badger culling may increase spread of tuberculosis, say researchers

Culls cause badgers to roam further, potentially worsening risk of disease in cattle

Badgers start to roam much further afield when culling starts nearby, research has found, potentially increasing the spread of bovine tuberculosis, the disease culling is meant to control.

The findings raise questions about the government’s culling strategy, begun in 2011 and intended to reduce the harm to dairy herds from a rising incidence of bovine TB in hotspots around the country. Last month the government announced a major extension.

However, farmers disputed the findings and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the cull had been shown to be effective.

Surviving badgers in populations that were culled covered nearly two thirds more land each month than they did before the culling began, and the likelihood of a badger visiting neighbouring territories each night increased twentyfold, according to the study from the ZSL’s Institute of Zoology. The increase in badgers’ range came despite the animals being less likely to leave their setts overall in the aftermath of a cull, making them less visible to the marksmen carrying out the culls.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, covered 67 badgers on 20 cattle farms in areas of Cornwall both with and without culling, from 2013 to 2017.

Lord Krebs, whose landmark review of the science of bovine TB in the 1990s resulted in a 10-year trial of culls, said: “This research shows how important it is to find out about badger behaviour. It shows that culling badgers can cause surviving individuals in an area to move around more, and as a result they could come into contact with infected cattle and help to spread TB. The ill-thought-out plan to control TB by killing badgers could therefore backfire.”

The National Farmers’ Union said the ZSL study was small and covered only one county, and that it was “vital” the cull should continue to be rolled out across the country.

Stuart Roberts, the vice president of the NFU, said: “Culling badgers has a proven impact on TB outbreaks among cattle – the aim must be to get rid of this awful disease. Previously published peer-reviewed research, and anecdotal evidence from farmers in these areas, indicates strongly that TB is being reduced as a result of controlling the wildlife which carry and spread the disease.”

He added: “We do not see similar convincing outcomes from vaccination. Vaccination may have a role to play in areas where TB hasn’t taken hold but it cannot cure a sick badger so, in areas where TB is endemic, culling is vital.”

Nearly 33,000 cattle were slaughtered in England last year because of bovine TB, and 3,600 farms were newly affected by the disease, according to the NFU.

Bovine TB is the greatest threat to animal health in the UK, according to Defra. A spokesperson said the culling policy already took into account the potential increase in badger movement, by intensively culling across a given area, and that research showed it was effective. “Bovine TB [costs] taxpayers over £100m a year and causes devastation and distress for farmers and rural communities,” they said. “There is no single measure that will provide an easy answer and we are pursuing a range of interventions to eradicate it by 2038, including tighter cattle movement controls, regular testing and vaccinations.”

Defra’s research has found a 58% reduction of bovine TB in the area culled in Gloucestershire, compared with unculled areas, while there was a reduction of a fifth in Somerset, after two years.

TB bacteria can remain viable over long periods in the environment, meaning that if infected badgers are roaming further after a cull, as ZSL found, this could create new sources of infection for months afterwards. The changes in behaviour were noted by the researchers as soon as the cull started in a given population, meaning even badgers that are subsequently killed in the cull could have spread the disease much further than if they had remained undisturbed.

Arthur Thomas, the campaigns manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said: “This report raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of the badger cull policy. We believe that the evidence against the culling of badgers as a response to bovine TB is well established and overwhelming. Government must act quickly to put a stop to an ineffective and inhumane practice.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/badger-culling-may-increase-spread-of-tuberculosis-say-researchers

Past links on this issue:

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/09/12/england-bovine-tb-up-by-130-higher-than-when-badger-culls-began-badgers-being-killed-to-pacify-farmers-while-they-take-no-responsibility-for-biosecurity/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/09/09/england-badger-cull-vet-says-badger-culls-caused-immense-pain-bovine-tb-rates-have-increased-in-some-areas-where-culling-is-done-thus-probably-not-effective-other-solutions-needed/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/01/13/england-positive-news-for-badgers-the-national-trust-will-not-allow-culling-on-its-land/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2018/12/20/england-scientists-accuse-officials-of-cherry-picking-data-to-defend-badger-cull/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2018/09/30/england-secret-filming-reveals-hidden-cruelty-of-licensed-badger-culls/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2018/10/21/england-that-the-bovine-tb-government-strategy-is-working-called-untrue-by-vets-and-animal-specialists/

We covered this back in January:

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/01/14/canada-our-largest-intact-old-growth-forest-is-literally-being-turned-into-toilet-paper/ 

Dear Mark,

There’s no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it: We are flushing Canada’s Boreal Forest, one of the earth’s greatest defenses against climate change, down the toilet.

The majestic boreal forest stores huge amounts of our climate-busting carbon pollution, but it’s being cut at a dizzying rate — much of it for toilet paper.

Toilet paper brand Charmin uses absolutely no recycled paper in its toilet paper… just 100% virgin forest fiber from the boreal forest. This destroys its trees, hurts the livelihood of hundreds of Indigenous communities, and threatens the iconic boreal caribou, billions of songbirds, and other wildlife that call this ancient forest home.

All to make a product that people use once before they flush it away. This has to stop.

Hundreds of thousands of people have called on Charmin’s manufacturer, Procter & Gamble (P&G), to stop this “tree-to-toilet pipeline”. And on Tuesday, October 8th, NRDC will be on the ground at P&G’s annual shareholder meeting, demanding they listen to our collective voice. Will you add your voice as well?

As P&G holds its shareholder meeting, send the company a message that you won’t let them continue flushing our forests down the toilet!

Here’s the deal: every American uses nearly 3 rolls of toilet paper a week on average, and much of the pulp for toilet paper and other tissue products come from the boreal forest.

This very forest holds more than 300 billion tons of carbon in its soils, plants, and wetlands — making it one of our planet’s best natural defenses against climate change.

But the roughly one million acres of land being logged every year puts the hundreds of Indigenous communities’ way of life and the survival of threatened boreal caribou in peril.

P&G should be using more recycled paper in its products. It should not be putting Indigenous communities, our climate, and boreal caribou on the line to make a product that’s used once, then flushed down the toilet. So, while NRDC will be at their shareholder meeting demanding they dramatically reduce the virgin pulp content in its products and increase the use of recycled materials, we need you to share your demands as well:

Sign the petition and show P&G that the world won’t let them accelerate climate change just for profit.

Thank you for being with us on this important issue.

Shelley Vinyard
Boreal Corporate Campaign Manager, NRDC

Victory for Whales and Dolphins! TripAdvisor Stops Selling SeaWorld Tickets

Posted by Cassandra Cyphers | October 3, 2019

In a landmark move, travel giant TripAdvisor and its subsidiary Viator announced the end of all commercial relationships with entities involved in keeping dolphins and whales in captivity.

After a thorough evaluation of scientific research on the well-being of captive cetaceans (dolphins, whales and porpoises), TripAdvisor and Viator will discontinue advertising for companies that breed or import these animals.

“Whales and dolphins do not thrive in limited captive environments, and we hope to see a future where they live as they should—free and in the wild,” said President of TripAdvisor Experiences and Rentals Dermot Halpin.

In recent years, companies like SeaWorld have come under fire for their captive orca programs in particular. The documentary “Blackfish” highlights the suffering of SeaWorld’s killer whales, trapped in the wild and ripped from their families. In their natural habitat, the highly intelligent creatures swim dozens of miles daily. In captivity, they live much shorter, sicker and more stressful lives.

“The ‘Blackfish Effect’ continues,” said Animal Welfare Institute marine mammal scientist Dr. Naomi Rose. “As more companies such as TripAdvisor reflect the growing public consensus that using captive whales and dolphins to entertain people is anachronistic and inhumane, at some point the marine theme park industry will have to get on board. Cetaceans do not belong in captivity.”

TripAdvisor joins the ranks of travel companies like AAA Northeast, Virgin Holidays, Southwest Airlines, and others that no longer promote captive whale and dolphin entertainment.

The company hopes to promote the eventual end to dolphin and whale captivity by supporting “seaside sanctuaries” as an alternative way to experience marine mammal wildlife.

“Seaside sanctuaries have enormous potential, but they need more backing from the tourism industry,” said Halpin. “As long as facilities with captive whales and dolphins continue to profit from keeping these animals in smaller, cheaper and less natural living environments, then they don’t have enough incentive to adopt serious change. We hope our announcement today can help turn the tide.”

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to permanently ban offshore drilling in the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Both bills passed and are on their way to the Senate.

If passed, this legislation will be an incredible victory for marine wildlife and ocean ecosystems. Offshore drilling causes habitat destruction, ocean acidification, and oil spills, resulting in immense loss of wildlife and damage to coastal communities.

Mark, we need your help to thwart President Trump’s plans for expanded offshore oil drilling. Will you email your Senators today and urge them to pass this critical legislation?

H.R. 1941, the “Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act of 2019,” would permanently block offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic Ocean, Straits of Florida and the Pacific Ocean. H.R. 205 would amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to permanently block offshore oil and gas leasing off the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Our diverse marine ecosystems are already imperiled as a result of human-driven climate change. We cannot let the Trump administration continue to expand offshore drilling – to the benefit of the oil industry and huge detriment of wildlife, and indeed all life – and increase the burning of fossil fuels at a time when we need to be curbing use dramatically to slow the climate crisis.

Marine wildlife, including endangered sea turtles, dolphins, whales and sea birds, will continue to be injured and killed senselessly if we don’t put a stop to President Trump’s plans to expand offshore drilling.

Please, urge your Senators to act NOW for marine wildlife … for our irreplaceable oceans … and for our future generations. Tell your Senators to vote YES on H.R. 205 and H.R. 1941, and enact a permanent ban on offshore drilling in nearly all U.S. waters.

TAKE ACTION

https://act.seaturtles.org/page/13455/action/1?ea.url.id=307353 

For the oceans that sustain us all,

     Stepph Sharpe
Development Associate
Turtle Island Restoration Network

‘It is time for a new law on ecocide to go alongside genocide and the other crimes against humanity,’ says Michael Mansfield QC

Eating meat could become illegal due to the ecological damage it does to the planet, a top British barrister has said.

Michael Mansfield QC believes the government should introduce tighter legislation to make activities which destroy the natural world illegal – and in the future this could even include banning the consumption of meat.

Michael Mansfield QC (pictured) believes the government should introduce tighter legislation to make activities which destroy the natural world illegal ( Getty )

“There are plenty of things that were once commonplace that are now illegal such as smoking inside,” said Mansfield, who will present his ideas at the Labour party conference on Monday.

“We know that the top 3,000 companies in the world are responsible for more than £1.5tn worth of damage to the environment with meat and dairy production high on the list. We know that because the UN has told us so.

“I think when we look at the damage eating meat is doing to the planet it is not preposterous to think that one day it will become illegal,” he said.

Currently 25 per cent of global emissions come from agriculture, with livestock contributing to 80 per cent of that.

Industrial agriculture relies on fossil fuels to create fertilisers and machinery to harvest crops and transport animals. Farmed animals also produce half of the world’s methane emissions. Research last year found that meat and dairy companies could overtake the oil industry as the world’s biggest polluters by 2050.

“It is time for a new law on ecocide to go alongside genocide and the other crimes against humanity,” (Michael Mansfield).

The top QC will be making a speech at the launch of the Vegan Now campaign at the Labour party conference where he will be sitting on a panel of experts debating the damaging effects of livestock farming on biodiversity and climate change. 

Juliet Gellatley, director of animal rights group Viva!, who will also be on the panel, said: “Thirty years ago people didn’t bat an eyelid if you lit a cigarette in a pub or restaurant. But now society accepts smoking is harmful and totally unnecessary and so we legislated against it. The same could happen with eating meat.”

Experts behind the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found red meat had high greenhouse gas footprint because of the emissions livestock give out as well as the impact of land being cleared to grow crops for animal feed.

The report says we should be eating balanced diets with plant-based foods such as grains, vegetables and pulses, and animal-based food produced in sustainable systems.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/eating-meat-illegal-vegans-michael-mansfield-qc-labour-conference-a9115656.html

My comment: 51% of all greenhouse gases emitted worldwide are caused by livestock farming – more than by total worldwide traffic …. A scary fact!

The problem seems so obvious and it would be so easy to solve: Minimize or completely eliminate the consumption of animal products. For this we need a strong campaign against meat consumption, as in the anti-smoking campaign.

Unfortunately, the problem is swept under the table, everything is twisted or downplayed, people are being manipulated, as the reality of climate control would not be accepted. No attempts are made, and if any at all, then the most absurd, and as always at the expense of the animals.

This goes to such perversions that a part of the flank is surgically removed from the cows and replaced by a glass plate just so that one can better observe the processes of methane production.

The fact that humankind’s “enjoyment” of animal products is more important than an intact climate is frightening evidence of the irresponsible and primitive thinking of our species.

My best regards to all, Venus

From the portal http://www.netzfrauen.org

It all started in Thailand. A Thai supermarket had come up with an ingenious way of reducing plastic packaging: instead of using plastic banana leaves.
When the supermarkets in Vietnam found out about this ingenious idea, they too took part. Fruits and vegetables are simply wrapped in a banana leaf and wrapped in a flexible bamboo. Banana leaves are a great alternative to plastic because the leaf is big, thick and supple enough and can be folded. Instead of throwing away the banana leaves, they are now meaningfully used.

How quickly such ideas are implemented, now also show supermarkets in the Philippines. In line with this environmentally friendly trend from Thailand and Vietnam, supermarkets are beginning to use banana leaves instead of plastic as packaging.
Usually in the net photos excite indiscriminately in plastic packed fruits or vegetables, but this time it was the other way around. Instead of throwing away the banana leaves, they are now meaningfully used.
Many countries in Asia have declared war on plastic and also return the plastic waste from Europe to the countries of origin.

It all started in March 2019 after a real estate company in Chiang Mai posted photos on its Facebook page showing the banana leaf packaging. And quickly gained worldwide attention.

Large supermarket chains in Vietnam such as Lotte Mart, Saigon Co.op and Big C have begun to implement the idea of Thai business and also experiment in their banana leaf business as a packaging alternative. According to the United Nations (UNEP), Vietnam ranks fourth in the world in terms of the volume of plastic waste entering the ocean. Increasingly, measures to reduce plastic waste have already been successfully implemented.

At least three supermarket chains in Vietnam are using banana leaves to wrap vegetables. Photo by VnExpress/Nghe Nguyen

“This is part of our plan to do something about plastic waste, and we hope we can use that idea for fresh meat as well,” said the supermarkets in Vietnam. Customers are excited: “When I see vegetables in these beautiful banana leaves, I’m more willing to buy larger quantities. I think this initiative will help the locals better protect the environment, “says one customer.

The United Nations Environment Program estimates that by 2050, 12 billion tons of plastic will be in landfills, the environment and the oceans. By the way, Coca-Cola alone uses three million tons of plastic packaging in one year and the other companies like Nestlé use millions of tons of plastic every year.

Many consumers here in Europe no longer want plastic packaging. Supermarkets and discounters are currently campaigning with numerous actions against plastic waste. Great!! thinks the consumer, but especially carrots and apples cost unpacked more than the comparison product in plastic packaging.

The use of banana leaves for wrapping food has a long history. In some tropical regions of Mexico tamales are wrapped in banana leaves. Hawaiians also use banana leaves for cooking. They are also used in Southeast Asia to wrap sticky rice.

https://netzfrauen.org/2019/09/28/plastic-13-2/

My comment: Some countries are really doing something to save the climate factually and with simple means! Although they are poor countries and not European.
We do not have bananas in Europe, but we have paper. Paper bags are available in most supermarkets in Germany so the customers can pack their food environmentally friendly.

And here is the problem!

Most do not do, plastic packaging is more comfortable and uncomplicated!
Measures must always come from the top and as a law, not as a voluntary alternative.
Because the climate problem is serious, very serious, and therefore can not be left to the free will of each individual.

So far, and despite 100,000 demonstrators at the strike demonstration in Berlin, we  remain patriotic on our German national sport: outrage!

The topic is on everyone’s lips, wich really is nothing other than to speak about FACTS:
Plastic is to blame
Factory farming is to blame,
Cars are to blame
Forest fire is to blame …
and nobody sees himself responsible for at least one climate killer.

An army of propaganda as a climate savior has suddenly appeared.
Some useless politicians think climate rescue is good, and a lot of unsuspecting but enthusiastic demonstrators are hoping this rescue will be through parade demos. Most do not even know what climate is and confuse it with weather.

Mass animal husbandry as a climate killer No. 1 is deliberately not addressed, only these militant vegans do it … bad, right? The outraged environmentalists are currently concerned with the Deus ex machina Greta Thunberg, the icon of the climate hysterics, whether she will finally be pronounced as saints or at least receive the Nobel Prize.

Of course, Greta will get a Nobel Prize.
Even Obama got it.

My best regards to all, Venus