§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what(a) biosecurity and (b) other mechanisms are available to farmers to prevent badger damage to forage crops. [157856]
§ Mr. BradshawElectric fences provide the best defence against short-term seasonal damage to crops.
Advice on using electric fences to protect crops is given in the Defra leaflet 'Badger problems: use of electric fencing to prevent agricultural damage' (TAN 15). This can be obtained from the Defra website (at: www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/ leaflets.htm) or by contacting the National Wildlife Management Team (Tel: 0845 6014523, local rate).
Additional detailed, technical information is available in the 'Electric Fence Reference Manual' (Research and Development Surveillance Report 607), which is also available to download from the Defra website.
275W
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cash value of damage done to growing maize by badgers was in the last year for which figures are available. [157927]
§ Mr. BradshawThere is no national estimate of the financial value of damage done to growing maize by badgers.
A survey of badger damage to agricultural properties in England and Wales was conducted in 1997 based on 1,982 farmer questionnaire returns (out of a sample of 3,600 farmers).
Crop damage was reported by 21 per cent. of respondents with wheat, forage maize and vines being damaged most frequently. 69 respondents reported badger damage to maize. The mean percentage of maize crops damaged, based on estimates provided by the respondents, was 5 per cent., with a maximum of 20 per cent. Reports of damage to maize were concentrated in August and September.
Damage assessments of eight maize fields known to be used by badgers recorded an average of 114 unharvestable maize cobs per hectare. Forage maize crops protected by electric fencing sustained 96 per cent. less damage than unprotected crops (advice on electric fencing is given in the Defra leaflet TAN 15 'Badger problems: use of electric fencing to prevent agricultural damage', which is available from the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/leaflets.htm
Moore N.P., Whiterow, A., Langton, S.D., Kelly, P.P., Garthwaite, D., Bishop, J.D. and Cheeseman, C.L. (1998) 'The Assessment of Badger Damage to Agriculture and Forestry'. Report to MAFF, Project VC 0318.Moore N.P., Whiterow, A., Kelly, P.F., Garthwaite, D., Bishop, J.D., Langton, S.D. and Cheeseman, C.L. (1999) Survey of badger Meles meles damage to agriculture in England and Wales. Journal of Applied Ecology 36:974–988Poole, D., McKillop, G.I., Western, G., Hancocks, P., Packer, J. and Coombs, C. (1999) 'Effectiveness of an electric fence to reduce badger damage to field crops'. Report to MAFF.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports her Department has received of predation by badgers on newly born lambs. [157928]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Department does not keep a record of such reports. The only records kept relate to applications for licences under Section 10(2)(b) of the Protection of Badgers Act, 1992.
Since April 2001, when computerised records were introduced, there have been four applications alleging lamb predation by badgers.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost is of undertaking the National Badger Survey; and from which departmental budget it is financed. [157940]
§ Mr. BradshawThe most recent national badger survey, which was carried out in the mid-1990s1 by scientists from the University of Bristol, was funded by The People's Trust for Endangered Species. The Trust is a Registered Charity (No. 274206).
276W1Details of the survey are published in "Changes in the British badger population", 1988 to 1997' by G. Wilson, S. Harris and G. McLaren (1997), published by the People's Trust for Endangered Species, London (ISBN 1 85580 018 7)
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence has been collated on localised effects on ground nesting bird populations of badger predation; and which localities have been affected. [157944]
§ Mr. BradshawEvidence has been gathered on the effect of badgers on ground nesting birds as part of a Defra funded project investigating the ecological consequences of badger removal. Some of this work has been conducted in treatment areas of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT). Evidence collated so far includes an exhaustive review of the published literature, and experimental field research using artificial bird nests. The results of these studies will be presented to Defra in March 2005.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether increased farm biosecurity in areas of high badger population(a) deprives badgers of a high value food source and (b) increases predation on other wildlife. [157952]
§ Mr. BradshawCereal grains and many plant fibres pass through the badger's digestive system relatively unchanged, and may therefore, often represent low-value food sources. Work by the Central Science Laboratory at Woodchester Park showed that badgers were significantly more likely to visit farm buildings, to exploit such foods, during periods of low rainfall when alternative natural food items such as earthworms were less available. Other mammals and birds form a relatively small part of the diet of badgers in the UK, and there is no evidence to suggest that increased farm biosecurity would result in increased badger predation on such wildlife.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what extent badger groups are distinct entities; whether mixing occurs between social groups; and under what circumstances. [157988]
§ Mr. BradshawIn much of Great Britain, badgers live in social groups within defined territories which the groups defend. However, mixing between groups is common. Individuals make foraging and breeding forays into neighbouring territories. Temporary and permanent dispersal from one group to another also occurs regularly. Details of movement rates at the Central Science Laboratory's Woodchester Park study area can be found in Rogers, L. M., Delahay, R. J., Cheeseman, C. L., I angton, S., Smith, G. C. and Clifton-Hadley, R. (1998) Movement of badgers ("Meles males") in a high density population: Individual, population and disease effects. "Proceedings of the Royal Society (Series B)", 265, 1269–1276.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what extent and under what circumstances non-resident badgers will visit setts inhabited by social groups to which they do not belong; and whether this represents a significant opportunity for the spread of TB between badger social groups. [157989]
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§ Mr. BradshawThe most common reason for visits by badgers to setts within other socia1 groups is likely to be breeding forays by males. This close contact between individuals from different groups is likely to represent an opportunity for the inter-group spread of TB.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the(a) Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and (b) Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the welfare of badgers. [157993]
§ Mr. BradshawThe information requested is as follows.
(a) The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals contributed to the recent public consultation exercise on licensing under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 by my Department. The welfare of badgers was a central issue of this review
We are not aware of any other representations specifically concerned with badger welfare in recent years.
(b) We have received no representations on badger welfare from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in recent years.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 10 December 2003,Official Report, column 523W, on badgers, what the scientific basis is of her view of the national impact of badgers on bird populations. [158212]
§ Mr. BradshawAs responded in my previous answer, badgers are known to predate on ground nesting birds. The impact of such predation at a national level is not quantified but is not thought to significantly affect populations nationally. As I have previously replied, Defra is currently funding research aimed at providing a scientifically vigorous assessment of the importance of badger predation on ground nesting birds. The Central Science Laboratory is due to report its findings in March 2005. Until that time I cannot give a definitive answer of the effect of badgers on ground nesting birds.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures can be taken to disinfect badger setts after the clearance of TB-infected inhabitants. [157929]
§ Mr. BradshawAlthough several methods have been discussed in the past, including bactericidal fumigants and napalm, there are no feasible measures to disinfect badger setts currently available. The size and complexity of sett structure, and the propensity of badgers to re-excavate setts soon after destruction, precludes the efficacy of any of these methods.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether specific TB spoligotypes are more prevalent in badgers than they are in(a) bovines and (b) other reservoirs. [157931]
§ Mr. BradshawAs, in GB, only a very small proportion of the national badger population and an even smaller proportion of other wildlife species susceptible to bovine TB have been assessed by the278W spoligotyping technique, it is not possible to provide a meaningful comparison of specific TB spoligotyping prevalences for these three defined populations.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether instances of the detection of multiple TB spoligotypes in single herds have been reported to her Department. [157932]
§ Mr. BradshawThere are many instances where more than one spoligotype has been isolated from a single herd during the same incident. A project (an integrated approach to the application of "Mycobacterium bovis genotyping" for the control of bovine tuberculosis in GB), funded by thee Department, is investigating such data sets; the project is due to end next September and the final report should be available shortly afterwards.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the reliability of the badger TB ELISA test in determining infection in individual badgers. [157941]
§ Mr. BradshawThe indirect ELISA for badgers was evaluated using blood samples collected from 1982 badgers killed during statutory badger removal operations in 1991 to 1993. The sensitivity of the test was 40.7 per cent. and the specificity 94.3 per cent.. The positive predictive value (the percentage of positive test results where the animal was confirmed as infected) of the test was 67.5 per cent., the negative predictive value (the percentage of negative test results where the animal was confirmed as uninfected) 84.6 per cent.. A project (development of immunological assays for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in badgers), funded by the Department, is investigating this area. The project is due to end in March 2005 and the final report should be available shortly afterwards.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of(a) existing treatments for TB in (i) cattle and (ii) badgers and (b) the potential for developing new treatments. [157959]
§ Mr. BradshawCattle which are suspected of being affected with tuberculosis must be slaughtered in accordance with the requirements of The Tuberculosis England and Wales Order 1984. Treatment of cattle affected with tuberculosis in cattle is prohibited by the same Order.
If badgers are found in a debilitated condition, which may have been caused by tuberculosis, they may be humanely destroyed to prevent further suffering. There are no circumstances under which antibiotic treatment of badgers with clinical signs would be advisable.
The possibility of vaccinating cattle or badgers to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis, is part of the wide ranging TB research programme being carried out by Defra.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what extent the requirements for the development of BCG vaccination regimes for badgers have been satisifed. [157990]
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§ Mr. BradshawCollaborative research with the Republic of Ireland has shown that parenteral BCG vaccination provides a degree of protection against experimental challenge with "Mycobacterium bovis" in badgers. Progress has also been made in developing immunological tests to detect tuberculosis infection in badgers. Work is under way to identify a feasible and appropriate strategy for delivery of BCG, probably in an oral formulation, to wildlife populations.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her best estimate is of how long it will take to develop a suitable badger vaccine to the point where field trials may be undertaken. [157991]
§ Mr. BradshawOver the next three-year period, it is proposed to carry out a field experiment to determine the impact of BCG on natural transmission of tuberculosis in badgers, and to optimise vaccine delivery strategies for wildlife. We will then be in a position to carry out a field trial of the impact of badger vaccination on herd breakdown. The size and duration of such a trial could be on a scale similar to that of the randomised badger culling trial.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether an application has been made for European Union funding to assist in the development of badger TB vaccines. [157992]
§ Mr. BradshawAn application was submitted to the EU to support badger vaccination in 1995. The referees comments indicated that they considered this to be a problem restricted to UK and the Republic of Ireland and not of general benefit across member states.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the infective dose range for badgers in respect of M. bovis is in terms of the different portals of entry. [158003]
§ Mr. BradshawPost mortem examination of naturally infected wild badgers suggests the aerogenic route is the primary route of infection. Currently, experimental infection studies in the Republic of Ireland are underway which may provide information about infective dose via the endobronchial route.
The other significant route of infection for wild badgers is via direct inoculation with infected saliva through bite wounding. The number of organisms required to establish tuberculosis via this route is unknown although previous experimental work showed that intradermal inoculation with approximately 1,000 organisms could result in generalised tuberculosis.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether bovine TB is a natural feature of the ecosystem inhabited by badgers. [158004]
§ Mr. BradshawDiseases are often natural components of ecosystems and, as such, may play an important role in ecological processes. Badgers, however, inhabit a largely artificial habitat consisting mainly of managed landscapes, particularly for pastoral agriculture. It is this close association with grazing cattle that may have first brought badgers into contact with bovine TB.
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§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many years a breeding badger sow can excreteM. bovis bacilli; how many progeny a sow on average produces each year; and how many infected progeny a single female can produce in its lifetime. [158017]
§ Mr. BradshawTypically, an infected badger may excreteM. bovis bacilli for 12–15 months before death, although there are recorded cases of animals with TB living up to nine years. Litter size per sow varies from one to five with an average of three but, generally, only one or two sows per social group will breed each year. It cannot be assumed that an infected sow will infect all its progeny. Assuming, however, that a breeding sow gives birth each year, an animal excreting M. bovis for 12–15 months could, theoretically, produce between one and ten infected cubs. It should also be noted that 50 to 70 per cent. of cubs die within their first year.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 December 2003,Official Report, column 219W, on bovine TB, whether provision has been made for the changing values of individual cattle according to (a) market circumstances and (b) the status of animals; and whether farmers will be allowed constantly to update the values registered with her Department. [158258]
§ Mr. BradshawIn a consultation document on the Rationalisation of Compensation for Notifiable Animal Diseases, issued on 24 October 2003, it was proposed that compensation would be payable according to table valuations based on market prices to be published monthly, although provision would be made for individual valuations by an approved valuer to be registered at any time before the issue of a notice of intention to slaughter.
The responses to the consultation document are still being considered and no decisions have yet been taken.