Peter Jones defends stance on cull

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has issued a statement defending its stance, following criticisms of its support for the pilot badger cull, which began on June 1.

In a letter to The Independent, the body was criticised for publicly supporting the cull, implying its judgement has been affected by a close alignment with the farming industry.

The letter highlights reservations among some practising vets and BVA members of not only the humaneness, but also the effectiveness of a cull.

Responding to the letter, BVA president Peter Jones, said: “Members of our profession are battling daily against bovine TB. Members outside of the endemic areas do not want the disease to reach their areas and support action to help us control TB."

Explaining the BVA's view that the pilot culls must be allowed to go on unhindered, Mr Jones said that while the culls have been designed to be as humane as possible, "the methods need to be tested in the field so, as scientists, we have to support the pilots."

Mr Jones also remarked that as the majority of the signatories were not BVA members, they did not have the opportunity to get involved with the policy-making process.

He said: "We do accept that not every member will agree or have an opinion on every BVA policy, but through our committee system and the council, we are able to give every member a voice."

Meanwhile, a report was issued by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) on June 5, in which chair Anne McIntosh said that a vaccine against bovine TB is likely to be expensive and will be "no magic bullet".

Ms McIntosh however praised ongoing research projects into eradicating the disease, and called on the government to investigate the use of improved bTB testing methods.