Last week I joined members of Oxfordshire Badger Group outside the Oxford Martin Centre, home to Professor Sir Charles Godfray. He is not just another academic in this story. He is one of the most influential figures behind the government’s badger cull policy and the man whose work has been used for more than a decade to justify the mass killing of badgers across England.
At least he came out to face you and invite you in, he didn’t dismiss you. The door cracked open. Biggest problem with your/our argument is that saying it’s cattle to cattle means farmers are to blame. You absolutely cannot say that. In the best year for berries I can remember in a long time, farmers started trashing, sorry, cutting back the hedgerows in July. Then RSPB announce that we are losing all our farmland birds. Er, hello, two and two….? The farmers don’t like walkers on their land because we leave litter. Ok, so all the lick buckets and feed bags I collect from hedge bottoms are not the farmers problem then. Along with all the bits of bailer twine that are picked up to stop birds using them for nesting. Let’s face it, bio-security costs money, lots of money. Far cheaper to blame badgers. And for clarity, yes, I do understand that there are some good, conscientious farmers around……..but the easy, cheaper way out is often, sadly, going to be attractive to the majority.
As you requested a few posts ago I sent the letter that you provided to my MP Samantha Dixon and I did get a reply and it was the same argument more testing needs to be done on vaccinating cattle their needs to be a census of how many badges are left and that the government is committed to ending the cull by 2029 but makes no mention of the fact in the meantime more ruthless unnecessary Killing of badgers will continue I'm really disgusted with it all I guess we just have to keep fighting, and good on you for confronting the professor 😡
I never fail to be impressed by Rob and his grasp of facts which are muddied over and his intelligent responses even though he is probably raging inside.Well done!
Thank you for your excellent report and for keeping cool in the face of such ignorance. I doubt the professor even glanced at Brian May's investigation either. For several years I joined the nightly vigils guarding badger setts. We may have saved some badgers but with governments intent on eradicating this protected species and with so many gun happy shooters we could not stop the cruel killing of these iconic animals. Shame on all who were party to this crime against the badger.
I would really to express my feelings concerning the cull and all those involved in the slaughter but I could be sued. Suffice it to say that I am hoping that they all find a quick route to hell and that their actions invade their dreams or should I say nightmares - I met some of the farmers in the early days of the cull - OMG what a shower of knuckle dragging .............
I feel so absurdly proud that Rob confronted Professor Charles Godfray - absurd as in I had nothing to do with it - it was a man who if so totaly committed to Justice for our Wildlife - Thank you Rob.
As an aside - has anyone watched Steve Backshall's "Badgers: Their Secret World' (2 x 1-hour on Channel 5) - it's been just lovely viewing and has presented the 'upside' of badgers in the wild - mentioning the hardships but not belabouring it. If it serves as an introduction to these magical animals - 'PR' for badgers if you will, it will have done them a major service.
At least he came out to face you and invite you in, he didn’t dismiss you. The door cracked open. Biggest problem with your/our argument is that saying it’s cattle to cattle means farmers are to blame. You absolutely cannot say that. In the best year for berries I can remember in a long time, farmers started trashing, sorry, cutting back the hedgerows in July. Then RSPB announce that we are losing all our farmland birds. Er, hello, two and two….? The farmers don’t like walkers on their land because we leave litter. Ok, so all the lick buckets and feed bags I collect from hedge bottoms are not the farmers problem then. Along with all the bits of bailer twine that are picked up to stop birds using them for nesting. Let’s face it, bio-security costs money, lots of money. Far cheaper to blame badgers. And for clarity, yes, I do understand that there are some good, conscientious farmers around……..but the easy, cheaper way out is often, sadly, going to be attractive to the majority.
As you requested a few posts ago I sent the letter that you provided to my MP Samantha Dixon and I did get a reply and it was the same argument more testing needs to be done on vaccinating cattle their needs to be a census of how many badges are left and that the government is committed to ending the cull by 2029 but makes no mention of the fact in the meantime more ruthless unnecessary Killing of badgers will continue I'm really disgusted with it all I guess we just have to keep fighting, and good on you for confronting the professor 😡
I never fail to be impressed by Rob and his grasp of facts which are muddied over and his intelligent responses even though he is probably raging inside.Well done!
Thank you for your excellent report and for keeping cool in the face of such ignorance. I doubt the professor even glanced at Brian May's investigation either. For several years I joined the nightly vigils guarding badger setts. We may have saved some badgers but with governments intent on eradicating this protected species and with so many gun happy shooters we could not stop the cruel killing of these iconic animals. Shame on all who were party to this crime against the badger.
I would really to express my feelings concerning the cull and all those involved in the slaughter but I could be sued. Suffice it to say that I am hoping that they all find a quick route to hell and that their actions invade their dreams or should I say nightmares - I met some of the farmers in the early days of the cull - OMG what a shower of knuckle dragging .............
I feel so absurdly proud that Rob confronted Professor Charles Godfray - absurd as in I had nothing to do with it - it was a man who if so totaly committed to Justice for our Wildlife - Thank you Rob.
As an aside - has anyone watched Steve Backshall's "Badgers: Their Secret World' (2 x 1-hour on Channel 5) - it's been just lovely viewing and has presented the 'upside' of badgers in the wild - mentioning the hardships but not belabouring it. If it serves as an introduction to these magical animals - 'PR' for badgers if you will, it will have done them a major service.
Thank you Protect the Wild for all that you do.