Petition against Princess Anne advocating gassing badgers on the BBC

This video from England is called Badger Sett Activity in Kent (January 2012) by Badger Bushcraft.

Stop BBC from broadcasting Princess Anne interview.

To: BBC Countryfile

Dear BBC Countryfile, Please do not broadcast the interview with Princess Anne. Her position in society implies she has expertise and her opinion bears weight that she can’t back up with expertise.

Badgers do not need to be culled and a member of the Royal family advocating an illegal method of mass slaughter is irresponsible. Badger culls have been shown to be ineffective in controlling bTB. And the numbers of cattle being slaughtered as bTB reactors has fallen due to increased biosecurity.

It would be highly irresponsible to show an interview by someone who is ill informed on the subject at hand. Especially when it is someone in a position of power advocating an illegal and unnecessary method.

Why is this important?

The BBC have issued a press release about a forthcoming episode of Countryfile in which Princess Anne advocates the gassing of badgers.

This practise was outlawed in 1982 as it is cruel, slow and ineffective. The crux of the issue is badgers do not need culling, the number of bTB reactors being slaughtered fell last year as part of a downward trend due to increased biosecurity.

Badger culls have been shown to have no impact on levels of bTB so this interview advocating methods for culling not only implies badgers are the cause but that this is the way forward. A terrible way to spend our license fee by advocating the decimation of our wildlife.

You can sign the petition here.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has reopened its 2014 scheme to fund badger vaccination in selected English counties, in areas close to high-risk bovine TB (bTB) hotspots: here.