Badger cull in wales (with updates)

[kokopelli]

The sett survey contractors are staying at Bluestone, the supposedly 'eco-friendly' 5 star holiday development in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, where badger watching from the woodland nature trail is an advertised attraction.

UPDATE: Apparently Bluestone had no knowledge that the cull contractors had booked in, because Thomson did not use that name when booking. BLUESTONE DO NOT SUPPORT THE CULL, they support the Wildlife Trust in their opposition.

Check out Peter Black AM's blog, 'Big brother and the badger cull':

http://peterblack.blogspot.com/

[kokopelli]

Video of badger cull arrests last Tuesday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUJA8u18Gmg

will be shown on S4C Y Byd ar Bedwar 9.30pm Monday 23rd May

[Johnstuff]

Today the contractors turned up at 2 farms wearing balaclavas, without notice, accompanied by the police who arrested 3 people for 'obstruction' because on one farm they followed the surveyors around, and on the other, the farmer attempted to verify the ID of the balaclava-wearers. Shocking police-state tactics. A new low for the Assembly Government.

Sorry I'm quite ignorant of what's going on here and haven't read the links
but do you mean that they do the culling on land where the owner does not want the culling? ie. if badgers were in my garden they'd come and kill them?


Of course I think the whole thing is terrible

[kokopelli]

Yes, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has given the culling contractors the legal right to trap and kill all the badgers on holdings, whether or not the land owner or occupier wants it to happen. There are a lot of landowners, including some cattle keepers, who don't want the badgers on their land killed and have written to WAG to say they are unwilling for their land to be included in the cull. So far, WAG has responded by saying they can (and will) enter land against the wishes of the owner.

It's going to be on Y Byd ar Bedwar S4C tonight at 9.30pm.

http://www.s4c.co.uk/bydarbedwar/e_index.shtml

[kokopelli]

It's pretty scary to think what will happen when they actually start shooting. The contractors, who will probably have been recruited from a gun club, will have the right to access land at any time of the day or night, whether or not the owner or occupier wants them to, possibly wearing balaclavas to 'protect their identities', as they were in the YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUJA8u18Gmg

Also, don't think this is just happening in a far-away corner of Wales, the ConDem coalition have said they want to start culling in England soon.

[harpy]

Yes, a friend in Cornwall seemed to think it was going to happen there.

[kokopelli]

Well, I heard someone from the new coalition government saying they want to 'learn lessons' from the Welsh cull and avoid judicial review by making sure their case is watertight from the start. So hopefully they will avoid the confrontation and heavy-handedness we've seen here and at least take into account the views and natural rights of people who don't want badgers killed on their land.

Hopefully also this will encourage lots of people to try out 'badger-friendly' alternatives to dairy milk

[kokopelli]

The Badger Trust has been granted leave to appeal against the judicial review decision, but the Welsh Assembly Government insist that meanwhile they will proceed with the killing once arrangements are in place:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_a...t/10270111.stm

[vegcurry]

Good news

Pembrokeshire badger cull halted after appeal.
A controversial cull of around 1,500 badgers in south-west Wales has been halted after protestors won their legal challenge to stop it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/wal...s/10612240.stm

[DavidT]

Woo hoo!

[harpy]

Yes, that's excellent news. I also heard that the Welsh government is accepting the decision. Does that mean no culls in other parts of the country I wonder?

[kokopelli]

Great news and thanks to everyone who donated to the Badger Trust.

Although WAG has said it won't appeal to the House of Lords, the Chief Vet, Christianne Glossop, has said 'It's not over yet' and the Farmers Union of Wales hopes the TB eradication order can be re-drafted. However, if this does happen, there will be another chance for those opposed to culling to lobby politicians and challenge the legislation.

There is now a danger that frustrated farmers will take the law into their own hands and start killing badgers anyway, even though a prominent figure from the local farming world was recently prosecuted for snaring, then shooting a badger that had been digging up his lawn. The magistrates rejected his use of the planned cull as an excuse to justify his criminal behaviour.

I imagine the coalition government will be looking at the whole situation very carefully before proceeding with their cull plans, not only to ensure the necessary legislation will not fail if challenged, but also because they must realise that determined, organised and probably very effective and politically damaging opposition will inevitably ensue.

[kokopelli]

So here we go again....despite overwhelming opposition from the consultation responses (11,321 anti-cull vs 2,110 pro-cull) the Welsh Assembly Government has decided to proceed with its cull plans via the new Badger (Control Area) (Wales) Order 2011. Peter Black AM has filed a motion to annul the new order and this will be debated at the end of March.

PLEASE everyone in Wales, write or email as many AMs as possible to express your opposition and tell them this will be a critical issue in the Assembly Elections, which will be held this May.

Draft letters, leaflets, email addresses of AMs and more information available on Pembrokeshire Against the Cull website:

http://www.pembrokeshireagainstthecull.org.uk/

[harpy]

Oh no Please let us know if any non-Welsh letters etc are needed, kokopelli.

[kokopelli]

Thanks harpy. It's now confirmed that the debate in the Senedd to annul the new Order will be on 23rd March, so that's the deadline for lobbying.

Here's information from the Pembrokeshire Against the Cull website:

For those outside Wales

If you are from outside Wales the best thing you can do right now is write to Elin Jones and copy to Visit Wales (responsible for tourism in Wales) and Alun Ffred Jones (Minister for Heritage, responsible for tourism). Make your views about the cull clear and that this will affect your choice of holiday destination in future - you will find it very difficult to visit or holiday in Wales if this cull goes ahead - make it personal - maybe refer to the reasons why you have chosen Wales as a destination in the past such as wildlife, peace and tranquility of the countryside etc - and say how much a cull will damage the image of Wales for a very long time.

The email addresses are: correspondence.elin.jones@wales.gsi.gov.uk, info@visitwales.co.uk and alunffred.jones@wales.gov.uk

Example of email already sent:

Dear Elin Jones,
I am horrified that yet again, as I attempt to plan a holiday in Wales, my Web search options include a new bill to cull badgers!
This also happened last year, whilst trying to plan a family holiday......we went to Northumbria instead. My family and I enjoy taking holidays around Britain a minimum of 5 weeks of the year, and always pick locations which include wildlife spotting. Friends have influenced our decision to pick Wales in the first place and talk readily of it's many areas of natural beauty. This is really sullied by the latest news of the proposed cull. We won't be coming again if it goes ahead.

[harpy]

Thanks kokopelli, I'll write to them, though I'll have to adapt the letter a bit because I've never actually been on holiday in the Welsh countryside, only places like Cardiff It certainly will damage their image though.