by Martin Hancox, BSc and BSc Hons Natal BA and MA Oxon
| Introduction |
| Three KEY Misunderstandings |
| Four cameo snapshots of the situation |
| A simplified overview of the problem |
| A more detailed overview | Selected topics in more detail | References | Appendices |
| INTRODUCTION |
WHY THIS WEB SITE? Since the "first" official TB badger in 1971, badgers have become increasingly blamed as the source of bovine TB causing new and repeat cattle herd TB breakdowns ... during the low point in the 1970s-1980s ... this was plausible , but the current cattle TB crisis has demolished any credibility for this or any badger culling/vaccination strategy ... but 40 years of brainwashing has meant that no-one can see the wood for the trees , as Pooh said " My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with facts !!". Hence the attempt herewith to re-discover the basic realities .WHO IS BEHIND THIS PERSONAL VIEWPOINT? I'm Martin Hancox, and have been involved with badgers some 50 years. My Wytham Woods studies were extensively used in Ernest Neal's BADGERS 1977 Blandfords, and the revised Natural History of Badgers 1986… especially ageing badgers by tooth wear/skull development.I represented Badger Groups (the old N.F.B.G), on the government Consultative Panel on Badgers and TB 1990-2 and have been involved nearly 20 years (MANY articles etc see References). Many of these were circulated to the ISG (Independent Scientific Group), to folk within MAFF/DEFRA (Vet Labs & Central Science badger team), badger groups, RSPCA but Since I had the audacity to suggest cattle TB might be a cattle problem ..When everyone KNOWS it is badgers to my wry amusement these views have fallen upon deaf ears. A Prophet is Without Honour in his own country! My very special thanks to Jeannette Bond, without whose "IT" skills this would have been IMPOSSIBLE.
Incidentally much of the popularity of badgers goes back to Ernest Neal's classic The Badger 1947, with his war time observations whilst biology master at Rendcomb College ... it is nice to report that my monitoring of his setts for some 40 years such as those at Conigre, Rendcomb, Eycot, and three near Colesbourne show that ALL are still thriving ..Despite stopping repeatedly with heavy clay be estimable devotees of hunt and pheasant shooting interests! Right: A superb alpha boar badger skull, c 15 years old, huge saggital crest for big jaw muscles: allegedly can snap a broomstick! (Odd for a “carnivore” living off worms, insects, blackberries, acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts and corn!)
THE DEBATE SIMPLIFIED(Above: thickness of arrows shows relative importance of TB transmission) THE PROBLEM: See “Inner cycle”:- Accepted “Wisdom” after 35 years repetition is that badgers are the MAIN Reservoir of TB, and transmission is one-way badger to cow.
THE PARADOX: See “Outer cycle”:- The Emperor’s New Clothes, no-one apparently can “SEE” that thanks to the cattle TB crisis, the exact opposite is true: cattle are the MAIN reservoir and transmission is 99-100% cow to cow (and spillover to badgers and deer etc).
THE PUZZLE: After all this time it is still unclear how badgers are supposed to give cows a respiratory lung infection... much easer to see how badgers catch TB FROM cows! A BIRD'S EYE OVERVIEW OF THIS PRESENTATION :-There are three main issues to be addressed :- A. HOW have badgers come to be blamed for allegedly causing up to 96% of cattle herd TB breakdowns? B. WHY is there a cattle TB crisis OUT of control ...with mounting calls for /promises of a mass badger cull (..as in Wales, maybe Ulster too, If Tory's win the election); C. WHAT to do about it, see Key Recommendations below ... and why badgers after all totally irrelevant!!; DETAILED Analysis is given in sections 2, 3 b, 4, 5, 6 AND my references section 7(1)a, Appendices 8(3); LESS Detailed cameo snapshots of assorted aspects of the debate in section 3 AND my references 7(1)b, appendices 8: 1 & 2. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS TO TACKLE THE CATTLE TB CRISIS RE-DISCOVERING the two key mistakes in the whole debate
TESTING REGIME ---whole national herd should be tested, preferably for 2 years to see where TB has spread to .. Wales already doing this by end 2009 ---4,3, 2 year test intervals too long .. cf.Staffs/Derby 1-2 missed imports now yielded a "new " hotspot with over 6,000 cattle affected .. current new hotspots just starting include Cheshire/Leics .. should go onto annual testing to stop TB getting ingrained in these counties ---it is a CATASTROPHIC mistake that unconfirmed herds are derestricted after 1 clear test , especially in hotspot areas .. 2 clear tests needed for confirmed herds, with 6 mnth check test for 2 years (eg Ireland then reverts to annual tests), or 5 years in Michigan (rely more on abattoir surveillance and trace back). ---IR Inconclusive Reactors probably do have TB if other "good" cases in herd, so cull on 2nd retest as in EC guidelines (Wales already doing this) .. rather than on 3rd retest MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS ---a complete ban on ANY movement from hotspot areas is the only guaranteed way of stopping export of missed cases ..maybe until crisis brought under control ..failing that 2nd best is pre-movement, isolate, post-movement testing which catches most missed carriers as in Scotland now, and traditionally in north of England esp. re Irish imports (NB risk too of brucellosis some near misses in last decade when Irish notified us they’d inadvertently sent cows from affected herds...Ulster suffered reintroduction from Eire after FMD --Southern Ireland has electronic tagging from birth, computerised database with full traceability (back and forwards) and of "at risk" contiguous herds (based on subsidy payments listing multi-holdings too) hence TB test history in Blue Book cattle passport -- GB Urgently needs to improve such computerised traceability /TB testing history information with passport/documentation on pre-movement testing and TB history accompanying animal..(with respect, the British Cattle Tracing system admits to "losing" variously up to 10% of cattle off the radar ) BETTER TESTS ---severe interpretation in problem herds and "dangerous contacts" .. |
