Lord Krebs on Badger Cull; Insect Farming; Copa-Cogeca New President

Andy Robertson, NFU Director General, said: “Having heard Lord Krebs’ interview on today’s programme, it is important to clarify some crucial facts. The figures Lord Krebs used and the anecdotal figures pointed to by the NFU do not cover the same period of time. Lord Krebs was referring to figures after the first year of culling.  We have always been clear that the figures we were referring to were anecdotal and obtained by farmers on the ground and vets after the second year of culling. Therefore they are not the same in any regard.

“The surveillance report issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency covering the first year of the culls showed that there was no statistically significant changes in the number of cases of cattle bTB in the cull areas or outside the cull area in that period. This is in line with what was expected as the Randomised Badger Cull Trials (RBCT) indicated that there would not be evidence of any impact at that stage.

“We have never said there was any scientific evidence or published figures available to show a positive impact after one year. We have always been clear that the figures we have pointed to, which clearly show a reduction in TB incidence, are anecdotal and are based on reports from farmers on the ground and vets, and, crucially, take account of two years of culling.

“More generally, the NFU has always recognised that the culls need to be carried out over four years and that it will be a number of years after their completion before full scientific evidence is available to show the positive impact they have had on bovine TB in cattle.”