Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
I think Francis is referring to the following published in the Western Morning news yeserday as follows –

FARMERS WITH INFECTED HERDS MAY FACE FINES
 
11:00 – 27 May 2004

Farmers who fail to protect their herds from badgers infected with TB could be fined, the animal health minister Ben Bradshaw hinted yesterday.

In comments likely to infuriate many Westcountry dairy farmers, Mr Bradshaw said the Government was considering introducing financial "incentives" to encourage farmers to barricade their farms against diseased badgers.

In practice, however, incentives are likely to include such measures as withholding a portion of compensation payments or other farm payments if farmers are deemed not to have taken "biosecurity" issues sufficiently seriously.

Mr Bradshaw acknowledged badgers played a role in the spread of the debilitating disease. But he told the Commons rural affairs committee there was no clear evidence that a particular badger culling strategy would work. In this light, farmers had to be persuaded to do more to keep potentially diseased badgers away from their livestock.

"Some of the farms I have visited have had TB breakdowns have absolutely no biosecurity whatsoever," he said. "We must have a mechanism in the way that we pay farmers that provides incentives for good husbandry."

Ian Johnson, spokesman for the National Farmers' Union in the South West, said it was virtually impossible to barricade farms against badgers. He urged Mr Bradshaw to order a targeted cull of the animals to help bring the disease under control in areas like the Westcountry. He said: "The minister's comments demonstrate a dismal appreciation of the practicalities of farming. Unless you are going to keep your cows locked up in a concrete shed day and night it cannot be done. Footage has been taken of a badger scaling a nine-foot fence – if they are sick and looking for food they will pretty much get through anything."

Shadow animal health minister Owen Paterson said: "There was an awful lot of emphasis on blaming farmers for the disease and I was alarmed at the hidden threat that compensation might be withheld from farmers who don't invest heavily in biosecurity. We know there is a reservoir of infection in cattle and we have to deal with it. But we also know there is a reservoir of infection in wildlife and we are doing nothing about that. Biosecurity around sheds is fine in the winter, but what do you do for people like [the North Devon farmer] Tony Yewdall whose cattle are out to grass? The committee heard some farmers had put up electric fences to keep out badgers and still gone down with the disease. What are they supposed to do?"

Colin Breed, Lib-Dem MP for South East Cornwall and a member of the rural affairs committee, also said he had concerns about the Government's approach. Mr Breed said: "The message that the Government is going to try to deal with this by penalties on farmers won't go down well at all."

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