A LETTER reference the proposed badger cull –a different view.

Having read many articles regarding bovine TB, perhaps the rise in incidence may be attributed to stock densities.

All of the supermarkets, as we are led to believe, are really mean with the prices they pay farmers for their milk. To ameliorate these stingy payments from the supermarkets, it would seem that farmers now have much larger herds so that they are able to produce more milk, to make ends meet.

With increased densities, are any ailments cows may have, coughs colds etc more likely to be spread within the herd? This may also be true for the spread of tuberculosis between cattle, especially when the cows are in close proximity in barns over winter?

Some years ago the government chose the cheapest option of only requiring those animals within the herd to be slaughtered, rather than the whole herd (as was recommended), which could have meant very large compensation payouts for those farmers whose herds were destroyed. Little thought about what could/would happen to the remainder of the herd if TB had already been passed on to a cow that hadn't/hasn't shown a positive result to testing! It must be enormously galling for farmers whose animals have been destroyed to show post mortem that they were not infected.

The next problem yet to be resolved satisfactorily is the dangers involved in night shooting of badgers.

Will/can the marksman be absolutely certain that when he/she aims his/her shot, that a pedestrian is/is not within the arc of fire out to the range of whatever weapon he/she is using; and this could be to some hundreds of metres at the least?

For example, some 0.22" air rifle pellets can carry for some 300 metres; a full bore 0.22" or greater calibre will carry for a considerably greater distance. When the military are planning to build a new shooting range a whole raft of criteria needs to be satisfied before the appropriate licensing authority will be in a position to grant a licence for its use. The Defra/Natural England's marksman will surely not have that knowledge! Shooting during daylight is difficult enough without adding in/around woods/fields and in the dark.

The repercussions of getting this wrong would be enormous, especially as it seems from articles in the press that sites where culling is to take place are not even being advertised.

– John Powell, Tutshill.