Issue - meetings

The Labour Group will circulate reference sources to support this motion prior to the meeting.

On a motion from Councillor Joe Rayment, seconded by Councillor Eleanor Jackson, it was

RESOLVED that

Council notes:

1)  That Natural England has received an application for badger culling in Avon.

2)  That badger culling has already been taking place in Somerset for a number of years.

3)  That only 5.7% of incidences of bovine tuberculosis (bTb) are caused by badgers.

4)  That millions of pounds are spent each year on the badger cull, with each culled badger costing thousands of pounds.

5)  That the badger cull is more than seven times more expensive per badger than the Welsh government’s badger vaccination scheme.

6)  That reports show that up to 22.8% of badgers culled take more than 5 minutes to die, making the cull inhumane by government standards.

7)  That organisations opposed to the badger cull include: the RSPCA, the RSPB, and the Wildlife Trusts (including Avon Wildlife Trust).

8)  That landowner permission is required for the badger cull to take place on any land.

Council believes:

1)  That the badger cull has been ineffective.

2)  That more effective means of controlling bTb include: testing, movement control and vaccination.

3)  That the government should revisit the evidence on badger culling and end the programme.

4)  That public money could be far better spent than on spending an estimated £100 million on badger culling by 2020.

Council resolves:

1)  To refuse permission for any badger culling to take place on land controlled by the Council.

2)  To encourage parish councils to implement the same policy.

3)  To write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to inform him of our decision, but to offer access to Council land for a coordinated badger vaccination programme.

[Notes;

1.  Following the motion being moved, the Head of Legal Services addressed the Council expressing some concern that the information supporting this motion was not current or specific to B&NES, and advised therefore that further work was needed to enable a considered decision.  Councillor Joe Rayment then amended the motion to replace the word “owned” with the word “controlled” in resolution 1.

2.  The above resolution was carried with 25 Councillors voting in favour, 22 Councillors voting against and 10 abstentions.]