AS the badger culls come to an end for the second year the Green Party has again condemned the Government for pursuing this cruel and completely unnecessary policy. Greens call for an immediate end to the killing.
The Green Party has been opposed to the badger cull from the beginning on the grounds that it is unscientific and unethical and causes great suffering.
Yet even after we were proved correct last year - when the Independent Assessment Panel confirmed that the culls had been ineffective and caused suffering - this Government ploughed on regardless, throwing good money after bad. This year there has not even been proper independent assessment.
Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, proposed the motion in Parliament that called for the cull to be abandoned and has been one of the most passionate speakers against the cull. Once again Greens have led the way in opposing animal cruelty and other parties have followed.
Caroline Allen, Green Party Animals Spokesperson and vet, said:
"It is unbelievable that this Government is continuing to fund animal suffering after the shambles of last year’s pilot culls and the news so far suggests that this year is just as bad. In the meantime Wales has been doing what we suggested: concentrating on cattle. The results in Wales are impressive, the number of cattle compulsorily slaughtered as a result of TB testing having fallen by more than 50% since 2009 without a single badger being killed.
“Data on new herd incidents in Wales for the 12 months to the end of March this year showed a 22% reduction on the previous 12 months, with the number of cattle slaughtered down by a third over the same period. When will Defra and this Government end their ridiculous and deeply damaging obsession with killing badgers?"