Introduction
Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of cattle that is highly infectious and is caused by the Mycobacterium bovis bacterium (Briggs, 2012). The disease can pass between cattle, badgers and to humans through infected milk (Brumfiel, 2012). A badger cull was proposed in Somerset and Gloucestershire to test whether killing badgers aids the TB problem in cattle. In this report I will be covering the pros and cons of badger culling and other possible methods of controlling the disease, including vaccinations and increasing bio security.
Brief review of papers
In the article ‘badger battle erupts in England’ Geoff Brumfiel discusses how science has not given any clear evidence for or against the cull. He talks of the RBCT and whether or not a 16% decrease in TB is worth the cull – some say it isn’t but most farmers say it is. Brumfiel also compares England’s strategies to those of Wales (immunizing the badgers) and Ireland (snaring the badgers) (Brumfiel, 2012.)
Mark Woolhouse and James Wood’s article looks into the data collected and blames the mixted reactions to the RBCT on the way the data was collated and interpreted – claiming that data was collected at the start and long after the cull so therefore is not an appropriate measure for the effectiveness of the trial. They conclude that the pilots will let us know if the culls are humane but society should decide if they should go ahead (Woolhouse & Wood, 2013.)
In the BBC new article ‘Is a badger cull the only answer to bovine TB?’ Trystan Jones focuses on alternative solutions to the problem. He talks of the vaccination trials for badgers taking place and why vaccinating cattle is not an option due to it being banned by the EU (Jones, 2013.)
Helen Briggs compi...
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...and more money put into vaccination research.
Works Cited
Allen AR, Skuce RA, McDowell SWJ (2011). Bovine TB (TB): a review of badger-to-cattle transmission. Available: http://www.dardni.gov.uk. Last accessed 29/01/14
Briggs, H. (2012). Q&A: The badger cull. Available: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19637936. Last accessed 27/01/14.
Brumfiel, G. (2012). Badger battle erupts in England. Nature. 490:317-318.
Jones, T. (2013). Is a badger cull the only answer to bovine TB?.Available: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23991716. Last accessed 27/01/14.
McCarthy, M. (2012) Vaccine breakthrough may mean no more badger culls. Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/vaccine-breakthrough-may-mean-no-more-badger-culls-8201315.html. Last accessed 29/01/14
Woolhouse, M & Wood, J. (2013). Tuberculosis: Society should decide on UK badger cull. Nature. 498:434.
In Dunn’s article the passage in which I learned something new is in page 279 where he states that, his friend and his team had discovered antibiotic resistant bacteria in flies that flock around pig farms. Dunn overlooks the nuances of the study; perhaps the actual numbers and types of test done, for the benefit of the non scientific reader to understand the magnitude of the issue.
...and the administration of GnRH. Although at the present point time the administration of these treatments, is not economically sustainable due to added time and cost factors it has been seen through long term studies that the use of these vaccines in the regulation of the reproductive cycles, of mares and stallions can provide a more sustainable and ethical method of control that reduces overall population of brumbies and herd sizes.
This is not the first time or even the first animal to have become a problem. Other problem animals such as the feral hogs, Norwegian rats and the German cockroach’s’ are examples of what happens when a problem goes untreated or under treated. In 2011, the Department of the Interi...
Michael Hanlon claims vivisection is right by formulating his argument about animal in the laboratory live better lives and better deaths than animals in poultry farming and cosmetic testing. Poultry farming is the practice of raising chickens, pigs, and lambs exclusively in a cage that animals live until ready for consumption. Hanlon attempts to justify vivisection with the use of pathos by painting a vivid picture about animals in laboratories lead better lives and better deaths than poultry farming animals (2). However, all animals tested in experiments or raised for food are
White-tailed deer, along with the rest of the Cervidae family, are facing a possible epidemic. Although the disease has not spread over the entire range CWD is efficiently transmitted between individuals. CWD is to the best of our knowledge 100% fetal and incubation can take a few years allowing for many possible transmissions. There also at this time is no form of vaccine or treatment for infected cervids. Despite efforts being put forth to control CWD, being a free-range family of animals proves control to be extremely difficult.
A growing issue in the world today is the use of antibiotics and growth hormones in animal production industry. However, for over sixty years Americans have been exposed to hormones on a regular basic when they consume beef. (Organic Consumer Association) On average eighty percent of all feedlot cattle are given hormones to help them grow at an increased rate. (Communication Foundation) “In 1988 the European Union banned the use of all hormone growth promoters.” (Organic Consumer Association)
The Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Levy, Sharon. A Plague of Deer. BioScience 56.9 (2006): 714–21.
cattle. Between the years 1992 and 1995, a major BSE outbreak occurred in Great Britain, which caused
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Visser, Nick. "After Fears Of Antibiotic Resistance, 25 Drug Companies To Phase Out Use In Livestock." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 May 2014. .
Wolff, Jonathan. "Pro and Con Positions Oversimplify Animal Experimentation Issues."Animal Experimentation. Ed. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Rpt. from "Killing Softly." Guardian. 28 Mar. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
It is time to make a change in our country. Immunizations need to be given until the diseases are completely eradicated, and it is time to implement consequences to those that put the herd at risk. The government needs to bind together and put stringent guidelines on exemptions from vaccines.
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Wines, M. 2007. Virulent TB in South Africa may imperil millions. New York Time. January 8. Accessed online at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/world/africa/28tuberculosis.html?pagewanted=all
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