Its looking more likely that the Badger cull in Pembrokeshire, Wales will go ahead despite widespread opposition from organisations such as the RSPCA,RSPB and Badger Trust. 1000 badgers will be shot in an area of North Pembrokeshire in an attempt to stem the rising cost of compensation payments to farmers, although previous culls competely failed to halt the increase in Bovine TB. The ‘Lets see if it works’ approach proposed by Rural affairs minister Elin Jones and supported by Plaid Cymru seems more to with appeasing the farming community than adopting a scientific approach to dealing with the disease.
The lack of public consultation has angered Labour A.M. Lorraine Barrett who has openly expressed her opposition to the cull, but the increased financial implications has forced a knee jerk reaction from the Assembly Government. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has ruled out the need for culling and favours a more scientific programme of vaccination in England, which is likely to go ahead from 2011.
Despite the recent protestations it now looks unlikely that anyone outside the Assembly building will have any say this matter.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7962285.stm
