It may only seem like yesterday that NFA was out in the cull zones helping with sett-mapping, and on wounded badger patrols. However the 2017 cull could be starting again in a matter of months, depending on the outcome of a general election on June 8th. If the Tories win again, they will go ahead with yet another badger cull. This is a party that has shown that it doesn’t care about scientific evidence, cited by some of the world’s leading experts on Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) and badger culling. Neither would it seem, does it care about ending the bTB crisis affecting farmers and cattle. Tory culling measures, according to scientists, could actually make the problem worse.
If the Tories are defeated, and Labour wins the election, then our badgers are safe. Labour as a party are opposed to the cull, and Jeremy Corbyn is against it on a personal level too. The odds of a Labour win may look unlikely according to the polls but a lot can change in 6 weeks. Labour and the Greens are the only two UK-wide parties who are opposed to the badger cull. Badger culling doesn’t happen in Scotland but it is an issue that affects everyone in the UK who cares about wildlife. Dr Paul Monaghan of the SNP has spoken out against it. Indeed he was the primary sponsor of an Early Day Motion last year in parliament which led to an important debate on this topic.
As well as making sure your vote is for a party that will save our wildlife, not kill it, it is also important to prepare for another Conservative government. A win for the Tories means another badger cull, and one that is most certainly going to be rolled out to even more areas. There are groups all over the south of England who are working on the ground right now doing sett-mapping, so that they have the best chance of protecting badgers from gunmen come culling time. The more people out helping now, the better, so please get in touch with The Badger Action Network (BAN) to find out how you can get involved. BAN was started using NFA funding, and plays a vital role in badger protection all year round.
