§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have made to carry out research into badger capture methods. [HL3899]
§ Lord CarterThe Bourne Group, which advises the Government on aspects of TB in cattle and badgers, recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food should investigate other humane capture methods for badgers, such as leg cuffs, as an adjunct to cage trapping. It also recommended that MAFF should assess the actual welfare implications of snaring carried out in accordance with proper guidelines.
My honourable friend the Minister of State of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has decided not to finance research into the use of snares. But he considers it would be prudent to examine whether leg cuffs might be a humane and efficient adjunct to cage traps. As a first step we plan to test a prototype leg cuff. If there is no evidence of harm to badgers a field trial will follow; otherwise the research will be brought to an end.