Sunday 17 March 2024
The DEFRA Bovine TB Partnership: Shambles or Scandal? "Not so much a partnership as a captive audience" UPDATED
The Bristol Naturalist Society has had one of its members delete their own comment (regardinbg this post) as "it was political" and for me the BNS has done f-- all to help the various groups around Bristol.
I expect to have my response deleted at which point I shall point out they are cowards and leave.
"I'm sorry but we are being nonsensical here about politics. The badger -thanks to the legislation pushed and upgraded by the current political party has resulted in 250,000 badger deaths and no change in Bovine TB.; Even badgers that were tested for years and were nowhere near cattle were killed as part of the cull.
"Badgers are facing extinction -the yearly losses on top of the culls which it has been officially declared is the eradicate badgers from large portions of the country is something that as naturalists we HAVE to address.
"It doesn't matter what party is in power the purpose of a naturalist is to observe and record everything from fungi to mammals, birds and plants and over the last 20 years this has included the need to campaign and fight for conservation of native species and habitat. All of the campaigning going on around Bristol to preserve woodland and green spaces that are rich in wildlife I have not seen an official open support from the BNS for.
"We are at a crisis point with native habitat and wildlife and if someone says "Well, Labour have said they will stop the cull if they get into power" then that is a statement of fact that we, as naturalists should welcome. I understand large mammals such as badgers and foxes as well as otters are not of that much interest -just go over my posts on this page asking for assistance, etc., but they are a vital part of the eco system.
"I absolutely hate politics but it affects every aspect of our lives -we have 1.2K members here so why are we not joining the various save green space groups or meeting on College Green to protest at the cull and loss of habitat?"
" I would like to think that in 30 years time there will still be badgers and foxes but I doubt there will be. And there is even talk of moving culls into more urban areas.
"Where do we stand? What do we do? Sit back and wait for wildlife extinction?"
This article was forwarded to me and I think it might help more than a few people confused over the attempted badger extinction initiative and Bovine TB. Please help by supporting The Badger Crowd and making your MP aware of your stance regarding the cull.
According to TB HuB (the home of UK TB information), the
Bovine TB Partnership comprises members with “extensive experience and expertise
in the farming industry, private veterinary profession, non-government
organisations, academia, local authorities, and government.” It
is managed by Defra and has ‘Member organisations’ including the Animal and
Plant Health Agency (APHA), National Farmers Union, the British Cattle
Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Association and Natural England.
In recent weeks vet Dick Sibley and others have left the
partnership, frustrated at lack of progress, and suggesting that anything not
central to Defra’s agenda is not welcome.
Dick Sibley is well known as arguably the foremost English
‘coalface’ veterinary worker on bovine tuberculosis management, in Devon
and beyond. He qualified as a vet from Bristol University Veterinary School in
1977 and has been in veterinary practice ever since, and he runs West Ridge
Veterinary Practice based in Witheridge, in Mid Devon.
His X/Twitter biography describes him as “Veterinary surgeon working with
cattle and other farm animals, hoping to make their lives better &
healthier so that they can make our lives better & healthier”.
Dick is dedicated to the care of cattle, with particular
expertise in the management of infectious diseases. He has an Honorary
Fellowship, awarded for his work with BSE (bovine
spongiform encephalopathy), Foot and Mouth disease and
Tuberculosis. He is National Secretary and President of the British Cattle
Veterinary Association. He has a range of awards; RABDF Princess Anne Dairy
Award, the RASE Bledisloe Cup, Honorary Life Membership BCVA, and Dairy
Industry Award 2006 for veterinary services to the cattle industry.
Until recently, he was also a member of the government’s ‘Bovine
Tuberculosis Partnership’. Towards the end of February 2024 however, it was
reported in the farming press that Dick Sibley and another member had been
removed from the partnership, and a third quietly resigned. Although it was
originally envisaged in 2021 that the partnership would produce useful
summaries of their work and make them publicly available, no insight into the thinking of the
group has been forthcoming. It has been a closed shop. For the
public and interested parties, there has been no insight at all, a huge
disappointment considering its role and potential pivotal importance.
In short, the
BTB partnership has been a failure. There are even gagging
clauses on partnership members speaking publicly without approval.
Shortly after he left the Bovine TB Partnership Dick Sibley started posting on X (formerly
Twitter) about his experiences and his posts offer interesting insight both
into the problems faced and the workings of the so-called partnership.
By way of introduction to his long social media thread, Sibley
pointed out:
“The 3 counties of Cornwall, Devon and
Dorset have 7,989 cattle herds and generate 33% of new herd incidents of bovine
TB in England. At the end of September 2023. these 3 counties had 652
herds not officially TB free (OTF). (Down from 1011 in 2018, but up from 627 in
2021). I repeatedly mentioned this to the partnership. And got sacked. I guess
if you don’t like the message, shoot the messenger.”
So, does Dick Sibley think that the current bTB policy is
working well? He says:
“To get the country OTF by 2038 as pledged
by DEFRA, I understand we need to get 99.9% of herds tb free for 6 years. In
the 3 counties with current herds, that’s just 8 herds still non OTF by 2032. I
don’t think that is possible doing what we are currently doing.”
The answer then, is no, he does not think Defra will achieve OTF
status by 2038.
The reason behind this is that the current testing system -
largely based on SICCT (the single
intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test) and gamma testing
- obviously leaves many infected animals in the herd that could only be found
with a wider suite of tests, with local management of each unique farm
circumstance needed to finish the job.
For that reason, the current system is doomed to failure as
amply demonstrated in painful slow-motion across the Republic of Ireland over
decades. Testing needs to be constant and not confined to the current routine.
Additional/supporting PCR/qPCR (polymerase chain reaction/quantitative
real-time PCR) tests in particular. Use of Actiphage for pre-movement
herd testing is the single essential action that would curtail disease spread
rapidly, even if triggering a new national herd management strategy for
diseased herds.
Why would Defra not want to look too closely at embedded
infection? Perhaps too many reactors means too much compensation (too much
money) seems the most likely explanation. It appears financially uneconomic,
and more politically expedient to sit on?
Does Sibley think that the bTB partnership of which he has been
a member is a helpful and functioning working group, producing & collating
useful and relevant science? He says:
“.. for the past 3 years I have sat
dutifully listening to unrealistic ideas on how we are going to replace badger
culling with vaccination, BCG the cows and keep testing and killing. Short,
truncated discussions on the pros and cons. That’s not a partnership, it’s an
audience.”
Again, it looks like the answer is no. It sounds as if there was
little engagement with the specialist expertise invited to attend. What does
Sibley say about whether he believes badgers are an important source of cattle
infection? He says:
“We have tried really hard here in the
South West: started culling badgers in 2016 and peaked in 2018: 90% of the area
of the 3 counties culling by 2021. More testing, more gamma, more killing, more
restrictions and yet 892 herds lost their OTF status last year. Is that
success? Of those 892 new herd incidents, most of them weren’t new. They were
recurrences of established infections. We used to blame the badgers, but we
have now killed most of them. So, as many of us suspected, they are more likely
due to undetected residual infections within the herd.”
So, Dick Sibley is concluding that repeat infections are most
likely due to
undetected cattle infections. Sibley has usefully drawn
attention to one of the more irrational of Defra’s many rules and restrictions;
you can only test cattle for bTB if they are OTF. He says:
“Trouble is that the permission to test
can only be given to herds that are not OTF! As soon as they go clear with a
couple of clear skin tests, we can’t use any additional testing. Not even an
extra skin test between the six-monthly routines. Endemic infection resurfaces.
Nuts.”
There is more in Sibley’s threads: how Michael Gove became
engaged in the issue, how that led to the Godfray Review (of the bTB policy),
how Defra responded to set up the TB Partnership. But the partnership does not
get a good account from Sibley:
“We listened, no decisions. Three quarters
of the time taken up with presentations, then truncated discussions through
lack of time. The rooms got smaller and smaller and tech more dysfunctional.
Covid didn’t help. Frustrating”.
Frustration seems perhaps to be the overriding outcome of the
partnership. Sibley writes frankly:
“I asked for targets, objectives, Key
Performance Indicators. What was success? Could we have some radical thinking?
Ok, maybe I was a bit mouthy. We were told about current policy and plans:
phasing out of culling, phasing in of vaccination. But what about the big gap
between the two? How could this work?
Task and finish groups did some great
work: I co-chaired one on improving testing sensitivity. Brave of them to ask
me! Our good group put in hours of constructive discussion and research to produce
a detailed report. Radical but realistic. Where is it now? Wasted.
That report even led to a full day
workshop held at the APHA site at Weybridge. I really thought that this would
do some good and make a difference. A good day of real discussion and proper
time spent on difficult issues. Nothing came of it.”
Dick Sibley goes on to cite an interesting case study:
“A small organic herd of red Devon beef
sucklers: set up about 10 years ago. Before stocking the 200 acres of rolling
Devon grassland, constructs 7km of badger and deer proof fencing. 2” mesh
buried 40cm into the ground and going to 6ft+. Even Steve McQueen couldn’t get
out.
The herd went down with Tb in 2019, 3
years after being established in its colditz. I got involved in 2021 and
started enhanced testing to see what was going on. We SICCt every 60 days in
accordance with rules, and then privately gamma, Idexx and phage 3 or 4 times
yearly.
Of the 101 cattle that we have tested in
the last 3 years, 42 have left the herd as reactors (either SICCT or gamma) and
40 have been designated high risk due to a positive result on another test
type. 7 more were gamma positive last week. There is significant age
clustering.
We have got 4 day old calves testing
positive for antibody! They didn’t make that themselves, they got it from the
colostrum. But mothers tested negative. The offspring of some test negative
cows (but designated high risk) have all gone as reactors. We suspect mother –
calf”.
So despite cattle being reliably isolated from potential
wildlife infection, the embedded cattle infection persists.
Sibley’s thread finishes with:
“For those hunting the tb solution, be
patient and manage your expectations. There is no simple solution. And for
those campaigning for [badger] culling, just take a quick look at ibTB map. My
patch is the squares with 61 and 59 in. That’s after 5 years of [badger]
culling. Disappointing.”
For those with more than a passing interest, it is worth reading
SIbley’s thread in its entirety. If nothing else, it may be the only window
into the workings of the bTB partnership that those not actually in it will
ever get.
Defra and APHA’s secret world of policy failure. Not so much a
partnership as a captive audience of those who need Defra’s support in many
ways and will not contradict them for personal and organisations reasons.
Gagged to the outside world. It really stinks.
(Edited for length, the full version of this article can be found on
The Badger Crowd.)
The Badger Crowd is a grassroots support and
fundraising coalition including Badger Groups and Trusts around the UK, the
public and a range of charities and funds. The Badger Crowd believes that legal
challenges are an important fight, not just for the badger but also for the
future of our countryside and the farming industry. The bovine TB badger cull
policy is failing farmers, taxpayers and our precious wildlife and is allowing
the bTB epidemic to spread and cause hardship and misery to a wide range of
people across the country.
Friday 15 March 2024
Otters And Me
Having started a large mammal survey in Bristol during 2022 (it failed as the feedback from wildlife groups was...minimal by which I mean one person). I knew there were otters within my area so I contacted the Greater Bristol Otter Group. I even posted messages on the Bristol Naturalist Society and Bristol Nature Network Face Book pages. Nothing.
I was somewhat concerned about the number of otters I had heard were dying on roads in the City and County. By mid-January, 2023 I gave up and posted out the following:
"What is going on??
"Our aim is to record otter presence in the Bristol area in order to gain a greater understanding of Bristol’s otter population while working alongside similar interest groups to exchange knowledge and ideas. Findings are reported to the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) which helps with research and reporting on otter presence in order to identify patterns of behaviour and also the impact of human interaction."
"Hi Terry,
"I have just looked through our database and mapped all our otter locations and unfortunately it appears we have only ever received one otter from Bristol in 2014. I have attached the PM form for this otter as well as its location on the map.
"We were surprised to discover that we have only had one otter from Bristol and upon further digging I found that we do still have a contact from the Environment Agency that covers all of North Wessex. It seems from previous emails that we have been cc'ed in that there may be a freezer full of otters in Bristol that we were unaware of, but we are yet to receive them.
"At the moment, we are at full capacity with our freezer space and have had to put a temporary halt on post-mortems, so we can't receive anymore. However, once we get going again, I will try to get in contact with someone down in Bristol and see if we can arrange to deliver the otters to Cardiff. Once we do, I will be sure that we send you the location and post-mortem results, but this may take several months.
"We would love to help you with your work in preventing more otter deaths, so sorry we couldn't be of more help.
Many thanks,
signed
I thanked the team and asked to be kept in touch with any results from otters in my area and eventually got another response:
"Hi Terry,
"Just to update you, we had a delivery from the Greater Bristol Otter Group on Friday 20th. I've updated the map so there is now three otters that have been delivered to us from the county of Bristol. I have attached the closeup of the location of these otters as it appears two of them were located very close from each other on the A4174. We don't have the PM report for these yet as that will take several months, however please let me know if you would like them.
"After talking with GBOG and looking into our records, I would like to confirm that the group has been sending us otters over the past several years. However, as they cover the Greater Bristol area, it means that they also include the surrounding counties, such as Somerset and Gloucestershire. In the attachments, I have shared with you the location of the otters that were delivered to us by GBOG on Friday. As you can see, most of them were located in Somerset. I have also included a wider view map, showing that dead otters are being widely reported across Wessex, however as Bristol is a more urban area they are perhaps less likely to be found there.
"I hope this helps clear up any confusion that may have arisen and please let me know if we can do anything else to help.
"Many thanks,
signed"
Bristol otter location
wider view
new otters from GBOG 20.01.23
Closeup of Bristol otter deaths
Well, I joined the Greater Bristol Otter Group but it wasn't getting me anywhere and their last website post appears to have been from 2014. So, to help move things along I posted some otter news and even raised the subject of koi carp owners using "electrical devices" to deter otters.
The following item I posted on 4th July, 2023 and asked whether that came within the GBOG area?
rescue "At
7am we were called about a small otter pup lying on the path by Tems Beck in
Giggleswick. It had been seen the previous night with an adult, and then again,
but alone this morning. The finder Tim, checked on him an hour after first
spotting him, and he was still there, and he had been seen earlier by someone
else. Tim called the police and RSPCA, but had no joy and fortunately got our
number. Jane
Carpenter was there within about 10 minutes, and
Tim had waited with the otter. This little man was not trying to get away, but
he was trying to give a good bite.
"We followed the otter protocol from the last time
we rescued a pup, warmed him up and got straight onto our friend Dave Webb from
the UK Wild Otter Trust so that we could arrange a specialist rescue place and
transport for 'Chewbacca'. After 'Chewy' enjoyed a little salmon, he became
very weak and his little body started to shut down, and he gave just up. There
was obviously something very wrong for him to have been abandoned and then for
him to not try to escape, and then pass so quickly. "
The rescue attached some microscopy slides/clips that
they took and I will attach those here so that you can see.
"The pathologist carries
out, via Bristol Uni Post Mortem Services, all of the PMs on foxes submitted as
part of the Fox Deaths Project -I am sure you know of his work? I
contacted Mr. ****** and sent him the above and attachments and he responded:
"I’m not sure of the
magnification but the still images be of a fluke. There has been very little
work on endoparasites in otters and I would be very keen to do a diagnostic PM
on this cub. A nematode Pseudoterranova spp. and an acantocephalan have been
identified in gut contents. It should be noted that some parasites found in the
gut may be parasites of fish prey rather than of the otter."
The rescue explained that the Environment Agency had the otter and it was hoped the pup could be diverted to Bristol so I sent the pathologist's response to Cardiff:
"Unfortunately I received that reply after I was told that the otter was heading your way. I wondered whether there would be any way of having Mr. ***** carry out a diagnostic PM on the cub? My apologies if that is trampling over any protocols I am not aware of but I am trying to fix a miscommunication and as the rescue were concerned about any health issues in the local otters that might need dealing with I thought I would ask.
Again, apologies for any trampling on protocols.
Warm regards"
The pathologist was concerned that the amount of transport time and back and forth might mean autolysis was setting in (In biology, autolysis, more commonly known as self-digestion, refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes. It may also refer to the digestion of an enzyme by another molecule of the same enzyme.) I assumed that the pup had not been diverted to Bristol which was a pity but...
HOW OTTERS ARE PROTECTED
- deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them
- possess, control or transport them (alive or dead)
- disturb otters while they occupy a structure or place used for shelter or protection
- obstruct access to a place of shelter or protection
"“I have (since) found an example of an Environment Agency grill in Mousehole with a much greater width between the bars which would allow otters to pass. It is unlikely that Pigeon House stream grill is owned or installed by the Environment Agency as there is no sign stating this so it is likely to be owned by BCC.
“Despite the disturbing deaths of these two otters, and several requests by a number of people including me, nothing has been done in the last six months to address the problem. The current harbourside litter bin campaign states that BCC likes otters but clearly practical measures are needed beyond photos on bins,” he added.
“Can the Mayor now take tangible steps to address mortality of otters on Hartcliffe Way? This may include adjusting the grill on Pigeon House Stream in order that otters can pass under the road and otter fencing to prevent the passage of otters across the road,” he added.
"The Mayor is expected to respond to the formal question in the week before July’s full council meeting.
"When asked by Bristol Live about the screen, Bristol City Council said it was the Environment Agency's responsibility. "It is the Environment Agency who need contacting as it's not a flood risk or a highways issue," a spokesperson said.
"A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the screen was not one of theirs. "Many culverted watercourses across Bristol rely on trash screens to prevent blockages which could jeopardise people and property due to flood risk," a spokesperson for the Environment Agency South West said. "This screen is not owned or used by us, but flood risk authorities who manage such assets are mindful of issues like this," they added."
Of course nothing happened. The shameful legacy of the Labour City Council and Mayor (the Green Party has an equal number of seats but appear disinterested). For around three years I have pushed to try to get wildlife over/underpasses at animal death black spots. The Mayor has decided to do what he always does "ignore it and it'll go away" and has ignored four emails and a letter detailing fox and badger as well as otter deaths on Bristol roads in 2023. But from a Council violating environmental law on a regular basis it should not be a surprise.
But in all of this time -otter deaths, wildlife safety passes or use of electrical devices to "deter" otters not one single word from the Greater Bristol Otter Group. And I would very much ;like them to get involved especially since I am the person most likely to have a dead otter reported to them. I have nothing against anyone at GBOG because, honestly, they have never been interested in getting in touch. I am interested in the wildlife and not ego boosting but I hope this explains and shows that I have always been open to cooperation and as naturalists that is what we should be doing.
image Nature ScotlandPLEASE READ!! Plans to cull all the badgers in front of the General Election
https://thebadgercrowd.org/
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