With the proposed 1st June start date for the badger cull growing nearer and the campaign against it gathering pace, the League is calling on all of our supporters to sign the petition and join us in opposing the cull.
The latest stage of the campaign began with a very well attended public meeting in Taunton on Saturday 20th April. Representatives of the League and our Team Badger partner organisations attended the meeting, which called for public support against the proposed badger cull in England. Speakers included musician Brian May; Gavin Grant, Chief Executive of RSPCA; and Steve Jones, retired dairy farmer and leader of the “not in this farmer’s name” campaign.
We’re planning a number of other events with our Team Badger partners, which we’ll update you on shortly, so watch this space for next steps or support the campaign with a donation.
We urgently need to get the Badger Cull Petition up to 200,000 signatures.
The Government petition against the cull is edging closer to the important milestone of 200,000 signatures. So, if you haven’t signed it yet, please do so, by clicking here http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257. Please also share it with your friends and family.
Background to the badger cull and the anti cull campaign
The badger cull has been planned by the Government in reaction to the continuing problem of bovine tuberculosis (TB) and is due to begin in two trial areas - West Somerset and West Gloucestershire - in June.
The Government remains committed to going ahead with the cull this summer, despite widespread opposition and the fact that the cull will have a minimal impact on the disease, but a maximum, negative, destructive impact on one of our best loved creatures.
With the lives of potentially thousands of badgers once more under threat, the League, our partner organisations and our supporters remain committed to ensuring the cull doesn’t go ahead and is abandoned for good in favour of vaccinating badgers and developing an effective bovine TB vaccine.
Vaccination has already been a proven success in Wales, where well over 1,400 badgers have already been protected against bovine TB as part of a five year programme of work to eradicate TB completely.
The Welsh initiative reflects the constructive alternative to culling that the League, along with Team Badger, is calling for. It also demonstrates the co-operation that is possible between the farming industry and government in taking swift, positive and decisive action against the spread of Bovine TB.
The cull has already been postponed from last October, following a sustained and comprehensive campaign that involved numerous organisations, including the League, our supporters and our Team Badger partners. In addition, a parliamentary debate at the time resulted in an overwhelming vote of 147 to 28 against the cull.
With your invaluable support, the League will continue to oppose the badger cull in 2013.