CHESHIRE BADGER VACCINATION FARM LEADING THE UK

Andrew Stunell MP joined the Cheshire Wildlife Trust at a farm in south Cheshire where the charity has been rolling out a badger vaccination programme, in an attempt to tackle the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

The badgers were being given the BCG vaccine, which Mr Stunell was able to observe at first hand at the local beef farm, before the badgers were released into a nearby sett.

Commenting, Andrew said -

"The Wildlife Trust is working alongside local farmers on a very important pilot project to stop bTB spreading into our area. I very much hope it will prove a success, and I was very pleased to see at first hand the hard work that is going in."

During 2013, Cheshire Wildlife Trust has vaccinated badgers across more than 1,000 hectares of Cheshire countryside including their own 85 hectare farm and an additional five private dairy farms.

The charity hopes to develop a sufficiently large area of vaccinated badgers to develop 'herd immunity' in parts of Cheshire which it believes could help stop the northerly spread of the disease which last year cost UK farmers £100m.

They are also calling for an end to the Government's proposed option for culling badgers, a strategy which the Trust believes has the potential to increase the spread of bTB by dispersing infected badgers, a process known as the 'perturbation effect'.

Richard Gardner from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust said:

"We're pleased Andrew was able to join us at the end of a successful vaccination deployment this year to see exactly what is involved in the scheme.

"The recent poor results from the Government's south west culling trails suggest that in practical application alone, the culls have failed in demonstrating their viability to be rolled out further in the UK, not least given the huge extensions that have been granted in an attempt to meet even the basic targets the Government's own advisors set for the trial.

"Given our unique position towards the northerly tip of bTB spread in the UK, Cheshire has a potentially pivotal role to play in how we tackle this disease, for the long-term benefit of both our livestock and wildlife."

The Trust manage a herd of more than 250 longhorn cattle, with additional dexter cattle and Hebridean sheep at their south Cheshire farm HQ, where they began their five-year badger vaccination programme in October last year.

The charity has also run a public appeal, which to date has raised over £20,000 to support badger vaccination in the region.