News - Early Day Motion against the badger cull
Alun Michael (MP for Cardiff South and Penarth), has launched an Early Day Motion (EDM) asking MPs to sign to thank Hilary Benn on his decision to not 'cull' badgers in England, and to put pressure on Elin Jones to rethink her policy on killing wildlife in Wales. You can read the EDM and to see which MPs have already signed the motion against the badger cull here.
Write to your MP - ask them to sign EDM 2090:
To find out who your MP is, and to send them an email click here.
You can also write to your MP at: House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA; to MSPs at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP and AMs at the National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF99 1NA. You can also find out the name of your MP by phoning 0207 219 4272; MSP on 0835 278 1999 or AM on 02920 898 200.
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It is important that we keep the pressure on in Wales. Use the letter below as a template, but please personalise it if you have time.
"Dear [your MP's name]
I was delighted that Hilary Benn has decided not to slaughter badgers in England in an attempt to control bovine TB. However, I am very concerned that a trial 'cull' in Wales could still go ahead. As a constituent of yours, I urge you to sign the Early Day Motion (2090) to back Benn's decision, and to put pressure on Elin Jones AM, the Minister for Rural Affairs in Wales, to call off this proposed slaughter of wildlife.
The science is clear, killing badgers would not halt bovine TB - and could actually make the situation worse.
11,000 badgers were already killed as part of the Randomised Badger Culling Trials, which found that nearly 90 per cent were free of the disease. A further trial 'cull' is pointless, and will be an animal welfare disaster.
The real culprits for the spread of TB in cattle are intensified farming practices and the mass movement of farmed animals around the country. Around 14 million cattle are moved across the UK each year - this number has quadrupled since 1999. According to Government figures, between 2005 and 2006 over 600,000 more cattle were moved than the previous year.
Dairy herd sizes have more than doubled since the 1970s - when bovine TB was at its lowest. There is a direct correlation between larger herd sizes and the spread of disease. The rush to intensify animal agriculture has led to this disastrous situation. Dairy cows suffer the dual burden of pregnancy and lactation during much of their lives. Their immune systems are shot to pieces and they are physically exhausted and killed at a fraction of their natural lifespan. Add to this unreliable bovine TB testing that is inaccurate in one-third of cases and you start to see the real causes of the problem.
Please sign Early Day Motion (2090) (http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=36437&SESSION=891) and urge a non-lethal approach to controlling cattle TB in Wales.
I look forward to your response."
[Your name]