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The Swallow chicks were not to keen to leave the…

The Swallow chicks were not to keen to leave the nest. When I turned the nest camera on this morning two of the Swallow chicks had fledged. There was only one left and that was balancing on the wire next to the nest. When we returned from feeding the Horses that had also gone. I joked that with the rain that we were getting, they wouldn’t stay out to long. I turned the new Swallow nest camera on until this evening when hopefully the fledglings would return. Half an hour later on checking the nest they had returned, bit to wet outside, I should think. One has been in and out of the nest, trouble is the other two are hoping it has food for them. With the rain that we have been promised, the fledglings could be in for a very precarious time. It was good to see that they have returned to the nest tonight, after leaving the nest when it brightened up this afternoon.

Although the final report by the Government’s Independent Scientific Group on bovine TB, that was published today, advises that Badger culling would be meaningless, there is still the decision of the Government to be made. You would think as most logical people would, that the decision on the cull would be made on the report published today, and all the other evidence from both Government departments and outside bodies. Not if The National Farmers Union has anything to do with it. A recent report on a Badger cull in Ireland, clearly shows that in spite of their cull, the are increases in Bovine TB in all of the areas of the cull. Other evidence indicates, that Cattle are the cause of TB in Badgers, and it goes on and on, with no evidence that Badgers cause TB in Cattle. Cattle testing in herds before movement, has also shown a large decrease in incident of the disease. The National Farmers Union cant let it drop, they have been kicking the same ball about for years. It wont matter what evidence you put before the NFU, they will never accept it.

It hasn’t of course, but if the report published today had of found overwhelming evidence that Badgers were the cause of Bovine TB, and that a trail cull should take place. What would have been the outcome if the trial had shown a reduction in TB. Eliminate every Badger? That is what it would suggest. And would it be right. Of course not. I am confident that the Government will note all of the overwhelming evidence against a Badger cull.

I have just found this statement from the National Farmers Union, on the BBC website of today. Quite obviously they are not interested in scientific evidence, more in trying to save face.

National Farmers’ Union president Peter Kendall said he would seek urgent meetings with ministers and officials to devise a culling strategy that would make a worthwhile difference to the disease situation. “I simply do not accept that the industry cannot devise a culling strategy that will reduce the reservoir of TB in badgers,” he said. He added that better testing and tighter controls on cattle movements would be worthless unless something was done to stop the “relentless cycle” of re-infection of cattle in the TB hot spot areas by disease spreading from badgers.

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