So, as predicted...

[Milkins]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24459424

Honestly, I can find no words to describe the sheer incompetence. ****** idiots.

[Pompski!]

We need to get the Yanks in to nuke them.

[Milkins]

...once the breeding patterns change and the remaining badgers spread out to occupy abandoned setts, prepare for a badger population explosion.

[blitzoid]

Am I the only one imagining a gang of badgers at the Fratton end, digging out the goalposts?

[portchesterblue]

I dont see why they need to extend the cull then. They are saying that there arent as many badgers as they thought, and that 60% of them were culled.
if we take west somerset they said that the estimate of numbers was 2400, and that 70% (1680) were to be culled leaving 720 badgers.

They now say that there were only 1450 and that 60% (870) were culled, leaving 580 badgers.

So they didnt reach their 5000 culled badgers, but they now have fewer badgers left, as there werent that many in the first place. if they reach their 5000 there wont be any badgers left ffs.

am i being too simplistic here?

[Bluesbro']

I still say Kill the Cows, then the Badgers wouldn't catch TB in the first place.

[Milkins]

"Our chief vet thinks that will lead to a significant reduction in disease," he said.

"There's no question the cull in Somerset has been a success."

Er, it's not a success in that they didn't get the numbers they wanted and it's obviously not yet a success (or otherwise) in terms of reducing bovine TB. The man is an idiot. Laughingly the chief vet only "thinks" it will lead to a significant reduction.

This is nothing more than a cheap experiment based on guesswork. What happens if the number of bovine TB incidences does reduce? Kill all the badgers? That would be the logical conclusion.

Keep the farmers happy Dave - you're gonna need the votes...

[RubiconCSL]

As far as I know, there is no actual evidence that badgers spread TB anyway. As far as I knw, there was one ocassion back in the 70's, where there was an outbreak in the south west and at the time the experts just said that it could "possibly" be spread to cattle. IF they do spread the disease, then why not vaccinate the poor things instead of killing them? Would it really be that costly to vaccinate them - they are a protected species for goodness sake!? Then, if numbers of TB cases in cows doesn't drop (as is almost certainly going to be the case), these animals won't have been slaughtered for nothing. It is yet another case of man altering the environment for its own benefit and if anything else gets in the way, then it gets destroyed.