Contents. Glossary... 30

Transcription

1 Updated Oct 2015

2 Contents Teachers'... notes 3 Fact... file 5 Role... cards 7 Table... signs 16 Score... card 23 Worksheets Glossary Education Dept. Animal Aid, The Old Chapel, Bradford St, Tonbridge, TN9 1AW tel: ext 221/230 education@animalaid.co.uk 2

3 Teachers' Notes... Lesson plan for classroom role-play debate This pack contains all the instructions, briefing notes, factsheets and worksheets required to run a balanced X-Factor-style role-play debate on the badger cull issue. Ideal for KS4 and KS5. Easily adaptable for KS3. Teachers' Notes Concepts to examine The ethics of culling wild animals. Evaluating scientific evidence. Political decision-making. Resolving conflicting interests. Objectives Gain an understanding of the issues surrounding badgers, cattle and bovine turberculosis (btb). Develop the skill of presenting a persuasive argument and debating a contentious issue. Practise critical thinking when analysing social and political issues. Overview This activity involves students taking on the roles of competing groups engaged in the badger cull debate. After preparing their arguments, each group presents their case to the class. A panel of student judges questions each group following their presentation and then gives their verdict on each presentation. Finally, the whole class votes on whether or not they think the cull should go ahead (not in their respective 'roles'). Requirements Tables arranged for seven groups: three groups for the cull on one side of the room, three groups against the cull on the other side of the room, and one table for the panel of judges. Clear a space at the front of the room for groups to give their presentations to the class. Resources provided: > Fact file (sheet giving background info on the issue) > Role cards (giving info on the position of each group cards for three levels of difficulty are provided) > Worksheets (for the citizenship version of the activity) > Table signs (to identify each group) > Score card (for judges to record each group s score following their presentation) Resources not provided: > Colour marker pens > Large sheets of paper for creating posters (for the English version of the activity) Instructions Introduce the issue of badgers and bovine TB. A set of relevant PowerPoint slides for giving a brief overview of the topic can be downloaded from the Animal Aid website. Check that the students understand the meanings of terms that may be used in the debate such as bovine turberculosis, infectious disease, bacteria, cull, vaccine, immunity, resistance to disease and biosecurity (see glossary sheet on p30). Explain that the activity will explore views on both sides of the debate and that they may have to present an argument that is not their own. See the Animal Aid website for a list of useful web-links. Select a group of 3 or 4 students to represent the panel of judges. Provide the panel with: > Fact file sheet > Set of role cards (optional) > Scorecard > Table sign Divide the rest of the class into six groups (or four if it s a small class). Each will take on the role of a lobby group for or against the cull. 3

4 Provide each group with: > Role card > Fact file sheet (optional) > Set of worksheets or large sheets of paper > Colour marker pens > Table sign The six lobby groups are: > Pro-badger cull - NFU (National Farmers Union) - DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) - Somerset dairy farmers (for the cull) > Anti-badger cull - Animal welfare campaign group - Badger-friendly scientists - Gloucestershire residents (against the cull) Teachers' Notes Give the lobby groups 15 minutes to prepare their presentation. Suggest that they divide up the tasks between different members of the group. Their task is to prepare a presentation making their case either for or against the cull. Option A: Creative version for English Groups can: - Prepare a speech - Design a series of posters - Produce a song, play, rap or comedy sketch Option B: Pressure group version for citizenship Groups should decide: 1) Whom they will target with their campaign message 2) The key messages or arguments they will use 3) The methods or tactics they will use to achieve their objective Use the worksheets (see pp23-28) to: - Produce a series of posters - Plan a campaign - Prepare a presentation While the lobby groups are working on their presentations, the panel of judges will prepare probing questions to ask each group following their presentation, and decide on the criteria that they will use to decide who is the winning team. Each group in turn gives their presentation to the class. They each have two minutes to put their case. Allow two minutes for the judges and members of the other groups to ask questions. Judges use the scorecard to record each group's score following their presentation. The judges, after briefly conferring, will then give their verdict on each of the presentations, and announce which they consider to be the best (the most effective, persuasive, imaginative, etc.) Finally, allow each member of the class to vote on whether or not they think the badger cull should go ahead (not in their respective 'roles'). Suggested timings for 60-minute lesson Instructions Preparation Presentations (6 x 5 min) Judges verdict Class vote 5 min 15 min 30 min 5 min 5 min 4

5 Badger Fact File... Badgers The badger is a largely nocturnal, shy animal that lives in large social groups called clans. Badgers live underground in a sett. An adult badger measures cm in length and cm in height at the shoulder. Badgers are a protected native species under the Protection of Badgers Act They eat mainly earthworms, insects and grubs. An adult badger can run at up to 19 mph (30 km/h). Fact File Bovine tuberculosis (btb) Bovine tuberculosis (btb) is a highly infectious fatal disease that affects cows, although all sorts of mammals can get it, including badgers, rats, foxes, deer and humans. Cows who catch the disease don t show obvious symptoms at first, but in time they become very ill and die. Dairy herds have to be tested regularly and any infected animals are killed. The milk from cows with btb can t be sold because people can catch the disease if they drink milk or eat dairy products from infected animals. Before the introduction of milk pasteurisation in 1935, btb in people was common and often fatal. Fortunately, today it s very rare. Over the last 20 years the number of cattle with btb in the UK has increased significantly: New herd btb outbreaks in Great Britain have risen from 1,075 in 1996 to 4,720 in DEFRA says 32,000 cattle were slaughtered in 2014 in England due to btb. Badgers and bovine tuberculosis (btb) Badgers catch btb from cows (probably through infected urine and faeces) and also from each other. Most badgers don t have the disease. Some dairy farmers believe that badgers are the main reason why cattle become infected with btb. They argue that the only way to prevent cows getting the disease is to kill badgers. The badger cull The trial badger culls first took place in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2013 when around 1,861 badgers were killed. According to government estimates, 70 per cent of badgers in these areas would have to be killed over four years in order to achieve a 16 per cent reduction in btb. During the cull, marksmen shoot the badgers at night after putting food such as peanuts outside their setts. The government's own Independent Expert Panel concluded that the 2013 cull had been a failure and was neither effective nor humane as it had failed to meet the 70% target figure for badgers to be killed and an estimated 18% of badgers took longer than 5 minutes to die after being shot. In 2015 the target number of badgers to be killed are: Dorset: badgers Gloucestershire: badgers Somerset: badgers 2015 is the third year of the four year trial cull. If these pilot culls are deemed successful, they will be rolled out across the country, killing 130,000 badgers, one third of England s badger population. Public opinion poll (YouGov poll in May 2013) 34% of people opposed the badger cull 29% of people supported the policy 22% of people did not know 15% of people had no strong views 27% of people who opposed the cull would change their mind if it meant TB did not spread to other areas of the country In Sept 2014 a similar YouGov poll found 36% of the public supported the cull, while 42% were opposed. 5

6 The Krebs trial - a key scientific study To try to answer the question of whether badgers are to blame for TB in cattle, the government organised a study called the Randomized Badger Cull Trial (RBCT) between 1998 and 2007, which was run by the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG). More than 11,000 badgers were killed. It was called the Krebs trial because it was organised by Professor Lord Krebs. Differing conclusions are drawn from the evidence resulting from the trial. Fact File The government claims that the study showed that a sustained cull of badgers under controlled conditions could reduce TB in local cattle by 12-16% after four years of annual culls. However, the scientists who organised the trial said that it showed that killing badgers can disrupt their social groups causing surviving animals to move out to establish new groups, taking TB with them, thus spreading the disease and making the situation worse. In their 2007 report, the ISG said that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain, and they recommend that TB control efforts focus on measures other than badger culling. For vaccination Badgers can be trapped in cages and injected with a BCG vaccine that prevents them getting the disease. More than 5,000 badgers have been vaccinated in Wales. And in Gloucestershire, a thousand badgers have been successfully vaccinated. A government scientific field study in 2010, found that the BCG vaccination of badgers reduced the incidence of btb by 74 per cent. In March 2012, the Welsh Assembly Government abandoned plans to cull badgers and adopted instead a plan to vaccinate using an injectable BCG vaccine. Three years on, this policy is proving successful. In parts of Europe, culling foxes over many years failed to halt the spread of rabies, but a programme of vaccination using oral baits has now effectively controlled and virtually eliminated rabies over large areas of the Continent. For culling Badgers are known to carry btb. New Zealand has seen a 94% decrease in TB in cattle since it started culling possums in the early 1990s. The Republic of Ireland has been culling badgers since the 1980s as part of a TB control programme, and the number of cows with TB has fallen dramatically. The injectable BCG vaccine requires badgers to be trapped before they can be vaccinated by vets or qualified lay vaccinators and is therefore costly (estimated by Defra to be around 2,250/ km 2 /year). The injectable BCG vaccine does not cure badgers of btb. The Randomized Badger Cull Trial (RBCT) indicated that a cull of badgers under controlled conditions over at least four years will reduce the incidence of bovine TB in cattle. The relative costs In 2014 it cost the Welsh government 706 to live trap and vaccinate each badger. People who support the cull claim that shooting badgers will be cheaper. The high cost of policing the protests against the night-time shoots means the expense of the cull now exceeds vaccination, according to the UK's top badger expert, Prof Rosie Woodroffe. Government figures released in September 2015 give the estimated cost of shooting badgers as 7,000 per badger culled. 6

7 Role Cards (Level: Basic)... Groups that support the badger cull NFU (National Farmers Union) Badgers can and do carry bovine TB and can pass it on to cattle. A single TB outbreak on a farm costs the farmer on average 14,000. Over 32,000 cattle were slaughtered due to TB in England in Vaccination won t cure a badger who already has btb. Role card: Basic Role Cards Badgers are the main reason that btb is on the increase in the UK. A badger cull is the best way to protect dairy herds from getting btb. Live trapping and vaccinating badgers is not an option because it costs too much. DEFRA (Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Role card: Basic A single TB outbreak on a farm costs the UK taxpayer on average 20,000. New herd btb outbreaks in Great Britain have risen from 1,075 in 1996 to 4,720 in The Republic of Ireland has been culling badgers as part of a TB control programme, and the number of cows with TB has fallen dramatically. The government needs to help safeguard the UK s dairy farmers. A badger cull is the best way of protecting dairy herds from btb. The badger cull is well managed and carried out humanely. Somerset dairy farmers (for the cull) Role card: Basic Across the South West of England, TB affected a quarter of dairy herds in 2010 and the number is increasing. All marksmen carrying out the cull are required to pass a government training course and must adhere to best practice guidance to ensure they can carry out the cull in a humane way. When a dairy herd gets TB, cattle have to be culled, which is upsetting for the farmers and also means that they may go out of business. Badgers in Somerset urgently need to be culled to protect the dairy herds from getting btb. Night-time shooting is already done on a regular basis to control animals such as rabbits and foxes and no one complains about that. 7

8 Groups that oppose the badger cull Animal welfare campaign group The government's own Independent Expert Panel concluded that the 2013 trial cull had been inhumane. Badgers can be trapped in cages and injected with a vaccine that stops them getting the disease. The cost of shooting each badger in 2014 was 7,000 (including the bill for policing). In 2014, in Wales, the cost of treating each badger with the vaccine was 706. Role card: Basic Role Cards Shooting badgers is cruel. Wounded badgers run off into the night or retreat underground to die a slow, painful death. Trapping badgers in cages and vaccinating them is more humane than shooting them. It is also much cheaper because there is no need to pay the police to deal with protesters. Badger-friendly scientists Role card: Basic Studies have shown that badgers are not the main reason for the spread of the disease. A scientific study in 2007 showed that killing badgers can disturb their social groups causing surviving animals to move out of the area, spreading TB further afield. Since 2012 the Welsh Assembly Government has successfully been vaccinating badgers using an injectable BCG vaccine. Healthy as well as diseased badgers are being shot during the cull. A scientific study reported that only 20% (1 in 5) of shot badgers were in fact infected with btb. Shooting badgers will make things worse as escaping badgers will spread the disease to other areas outside the cull zone. Scientific studies have shown that vaccinating badgers against btb works. Gloucestershire residents (against the cull) Role card: Basic In West Gloucestershire, a target has been set for killing between 265 and and 679 badgers over a six-week period. Last year 274 badgers in our area were killed, and many of them suffered as they didn't die immediately after being shot. Badgers are a protected native species under the Protection of Badgers Act Badgers in our area are being unfairly blamed for spreading the btb disease amongst cattle. Culling is cruel. Our badgers will suffer terribly as many will be wounded and run off or retreat underground to die a slow, painful death. Culling is unnecessary. We want our badgers to be vaccinated against the disease instead of shot - local people would volunteer to help. 8

9 Role Cards (Level: Intermediate)... Groups that support the badger cull Role Cards NFU (National Farmers Union) Role card: Intermediate Badgers can and do carry bovine TB and can pass it on to cattle. A single TB outbreak on a farm costs the farmer on average 14,000. Over 32,000 cattle were slaughtered due to TB in England in According to the government, cage-trapping badgers for vaccination costs about 2,250 per km 2 whereas shooting them as they run freely costs about 1,429 per km 2. The injectable BCG vaccine does not cure badgers who already have btb. New Zealand has seen a 94% decrease in TB in cattle since it started culling possums in the 1990s. Badgers are the main reason that btb is out of control in the UK. The badger cull should go ahead to protect dairy herds. Dairy farming matters - producing milk is more important to the nation s economy than protecting wild animals. Culling badgers has worked in Ireland so it will work in the UK. Live trapping and vaccinating badgers is not an option because it costs too much. Most people who are against the cull live in towns and cities. These urban 'townies' don't understand country ways - they are sentimental about badgers. DEFRA (Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Role card: Intermediate A single TB outbreak on a farm costs the UK taxpayer on average 20,000. New herd btb outbreaks in Great Britain have risen from 1,075 in 1996 to 4,720 in It has cost the taxpayer 500 million to control the disease in England in the last 10 years. It is estimated that the cost of bovine TB control will top 1 billion over the next decade if no action is taken. Scientific evidence suggests sustained culls of badgers under controlled conditions could reduce TB in local cattle by 12-16% after four years of annual culls, and five years of follow-up. The Republic of Ireland has been culling badgers since the 1980s and the number of cows with TB has fallen dramatically as a result. Bovine TB is having a devastating impact on farmers and rural communities. The government needs to help safeguard the UK s dairy farmers. Unless badgers are controlled, the disease will continue to spread across the country. A badger cull is the best way of protecting dairy herds from btb. The badger cull is professionally managed and conducted humanely. 9

10 Somerset dairy farmers (for the cull) Role card: Intermediate Across the South West of England TB affected a quarter of dairy herds in 2010 and the number is increasing. 23% of the cattle herds in the South West of England were under movement restrictions at some point by Badgers are not an endangered species their numbers have increased in recent years and there are now approximately 300,000 badgers in the UK. All marksmen carrying out the cull are required to pass a government training course and must adhere to best practice guidance to ensure they can carry out the cull in a humane way. Role Cards When a dairy herd gets TB, cattle have to be culled, which is upsetting for the farmers and also means that they may go out of business. Badgers in Somerset urgently need to be culled to protect the region's dairy herds from getting btb. If people want to continue consuming milk they should be prepared to let dairy farmers take the necessary measures to enable them to do their job. People don t object to foxes and rabbits being shot, so it makes no sense to protest about badgers being killed in the same way. Groups that oppose the badger cull Animal welfare campaign group Role card: Intermediate A moving adult badger is not an easy target to hit. The government's own Independent Expert Panel concluded that the 2013 cull had been inhumane because 18% (nearly one in five) badgers took longer than 5 minutes to die after being shot. Badgers can be trapped in cages and injected with a vaccine that prevents them from getting the disease. More than 5,000 badgers have been vaccinated by the Welsh Government's badger vaccination programme. The cost of shooting each badger during the 2014 cull was 7,000 (including the bill for policing). In 2014, in Wales, the cost of treating each badger with the vaccine was 706. Shooting badgers is cruel. Wounded badgers will run off into the night or retreat underground to die a slow, painful death. Trapping badgers in cages and vaccinating them would be more humane than shooting them. It would also work out cheaper because there would be no policing costs. Better testing of cattle and controls on the movement of cows would be more effective than badger culling in preventing the spread of the disease. 10

11 Badger-friendly scientists Role card: Intermediate A scientific study in 2007 showed that killing badgers can disturb their social groups causing surviving animals to move out of the area, spreading TB further afield. In March 2012, the Welsh Assembly Government abandoned plans to cull badgers and adopted instead a plan to vaccinate using an injectable BCG vaccine which has proved successful. Healthy as well as diseased badgers are being shot during the cull. A scientific study in 2007 reported that only 20% (1 in 5) of shot badgers were in fact infected with btb and only 1.7% of badgers were infectious enough to pass on the disease. Studies have shown that badgers are not the main reason for the spread of the disease. Infected cattle passing the disease onto other cattle is the key cause of the disease spreading to new areas. Role Cards Shooting badgers will make things worse as escaping badgers will spread the disease to other areas outside the cull zone. Scientific studies have shown that vaccination is an effective means of controlling btb in badger populations. If the living conditions, health and welfare of cows were improved, they would have more resistance to the disease. Gloucestershire residents (against the cull) Role card: Intermediate In West Gloucestershire, a target has been set for killing between 265 and 679 badgers over a six-week period. Last year 274 badgers in our area were killed, and many of them suffered as they didn't die imediately after being shot. During the cull, badgers will be shot in the open with high-velocity rifles at night by groups of people who have no prior experience of shooting badgers. Badgers are being unfairly blamed for spreading the btb disease amongst cattle. Badgers are the scapegoat for the dairy industry, which has failed to clean up its act. Badgers are a highly valued part of the Gloucestershire wildlife. The animals have a right to live their lives without being persecuted by the farmers for economic reasons. Culling is cruel. Badgers will suffer terribly as many will be wounded and run off or retreat underground to die a slow, painful death. Culling is unnecessary. If badgers can be vaccinated against the disease instead of shot. People out protesting against the cull at night will be in danger of being shot by accident. 11

12 Role Cards (Level: Advanced)... Groups that support the badger cull NFU (National Farmers Union) Role card: Advanced A single TB outbreak on a farm costs the farmer on average 14,000. A British Friesian is worth 1,500-1,800, but farmers receive only 500 in compensation if they are slaughtered because of btb. Over 32,000 cattle were slaughtered due to TB in England in (See Additional info sheet fig b.) According to the government, cage-trapping badgers for vaccination costs about 2,250 per km 2 per year, whereas shooting them as they run freely costs about 1,429 per km 2 per year. The injectable BCG vaccine does not cure badgers who are already infected with btb. New Zealand has seen a 94% decrease in TB in cattle since it started culling possums in the 1990s. It is estimated that 50% of herds with TB in high incidence areas are infected because of badgers. All marksmen carrying out the cull are required to pass a government training course and must adhere to best practice guidance to ensure they can carry out the cull in a humane way. A majority of dairy farmers want the badger cull to go ahead to protect their herds as they are convinced that it is the most efficient and cost-effective way of controlling the disease. Dairy farming matters - producing milk is more important to the nation s economy than wild animals. Culling badgers has worked in Ireland so it will work in the UK. Live trapping and vaccinating badgers is not a workable alternative because it costs too much. Farmers can't afford the cost of losing 1,000 for each cow slaughtered due to btb. If people want to continue consuming milk they should be prepared to let dairy farmers take the necessary measures to enable them to do their job. Role Cards DEFRA (Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Role card: Advanced Dairy farming is the single largest agricultural sector in the UK, accounting for around 17% of UK agricultural production by value. The government has to pay compensation to farmers affected by btb. A single TB outbreak on a farm costs the UK taxpayer on average 20,000. New herd btb outbreaks in Great Britain have risen from 1,075 in 1996 to 4,720 in It has cost the taxpayer 500 million to control the disease in England in the last 10 years. It is estimated that the cost of bovine TB control will top 1 billion over the next decade, if no action is taken. Scientific evidence suggests sustained culls of badgers under controlled conditions could reduce TB in local cattle by 12-16% after four years of annual culls, and five years of follow-up. Vaccination won t work on badgers who are already infected with btb. In Ireland as a result of culling badger the number of cows with TB fell by 54%. (See Additional info sheet fig c.) The badger culls are closely managed and monitored to ensure that they are conducted safely and humanely. The marksmen will be trained to a high standard. Bovine TB disease is having a devastating impact on farmers and rural communities. The government is under an obligation to act to safeguard the UK s dairy industry. Unless badgers are controlled the disease will continue to spread across the country. A badger cull is the most efficient and cost-effective way of protecting dairy herds from btb. The badger cull will be well managed and carried out humanely. 12

13 Somerset dairy farmers (for the cull) Role card: Advanced Across the South West of England, TB affected a quarter of dairy herds in 2010 and the number is growing. 23% of the cattle herds in the South West of England were under movement restrictions at some point in Badgers are not an endangered species their numbers have increased in recent years and there are now approximately 300,000 badgers in the UK. Badgers are the main reason that btb is on the increase. (See Additional info sheet fig a.) If the disease is to be controlled in cattle then we need to reduce the number of badgers in areas affected by btb. Since 2002, more than half of Britain s dairy farmers have gone out of business. Role Cards The rural economy matters many people s livelihoods in the South West of England depend on the dairy industry. If things continue the way the are going the industry will be destroyed, the shape of the British countryside changed forever and People matter when a dairy herd gets TB, cattle have to be culled, which is economically devastating and emotionally upsetting for the farmers concerned. Cattle matter badgers in Somerset need to be culled to protect the health of dairy cattle. Local residents have nothing to fear during the cull. Night-time shooting is already done on a regular basis to control animals like rabbits and foxes with no danger to the public. People don t object to pest species such as foxes and rabbits being shot, so it makes no sense to protest about badgers being killed in the same way. Most people who are against the cull live in towns and cities. These urban 'townies' don't understand the reality of country life. They are sentimental about badgers and don't care about the suffering of cows who have to slaughtered when they get TB or about the hardships faced by farmers. Groups that oppose the badger cull Animal welfare campaign group Role card: Advanced A moving adult badger is not an easy target to hit. The government's own Independent Expert Panel concluded that the 2013 cull had been inhumane because 18% (nearly one in five) of badgers took longer than 5 minutes to die after being shot. Badgers can easily be trapped in cages and injected with a BCG vaccine that prevents them contracting the disease. More than 5,000 badgers have now been vaccinated in Wales. And in Gloucestershire, a thousand badgers have been successfully vaccinated. The cost of shooting each badger during the 2014 cull was 7,000, (including the bill for policing), while in Wales the cost of treating each badger with a vaccine was 706. Measures such as increased biosecurity (preventing badgers and cows from mixing or coming into contact), better btb testing, restricting the movement of cattle and quarantine of new or infected livestock have been responsible for reducing the disease amongst dairy herds in Northern Ireland. Shooting badgers is cruel. Wounded badgers will run off into the night or retreat underground to die a slow, painful death. Trapping badgers in cages and vaccinating them would be more humane than shooting them. It would also work out cheaper because there would be no policing costs. The disease could be combated more effectively if farmers took proper preventative biosecurity measures and stopped badgers and cows coming into contact. Better testing of cattle and controls on the movement of cows would be more effective than badger culling in preventing the spread of the disease. 13

14 Badger-friendly scientists Role card: Advanced The Krebs trial in 2007 showed that killing badgers can disrupt their social groups causing surviving animals to move out to establish new groups, spreading TB further afield. This is called the 'perturbation effect'. In March 2012, the Welsh Assembly Government abandoned plans to cull badgers and adopted instead a plan to vaccinate. Wales's vaccination policy led to a 24% drop in herd infections from 2012 to The government's own Independent Expert Panel concluded that the 2013 cull had been a failure as it had failed to meet the required 70% target figure for badgers to be killed. The cull will not be selective as both healthy and diseased badgers will be shot. The Independent Scientific Group in 2007 reported that only 20% (1 in 5) badgers were in fact infected with btb and only 1.7% of badgers were infectious enough to pass on the disease. Badgers are not the main reasons for the spread of the disease. Infected cattle passing the disease onto other cattle (transmission), is the principal cause of the disease spreading to new areas. Dairy cattle who are stressed and kept in crowded and dirty conditions have a lower resistance to disease. Analysis of government data shows that the policy of frequently testing cattle is working in Wales in contrast to England where less testing is done and btb is on the rise. Role Cards Killing badgers will not only be ineffective in combating the disease, but could also make things worse as escaping badgers will spread the disease outside the cull zone. Scientific studies have shown that vaccination is an effective means of controlling btb in badger populations. If the living conditions, health and welfare of cows were improved, they would have more resistance to the btb disease. Gloucestershire residents (against the cull) Role card: Advanced In West Gloucestershire, a target has been set for killing between 265 and 679 badgers over a six-week period. In 2014, 274 badgers in our area were killed, and many of them suffered as they didn't die immediately after being shot (18% survived for at least 5 minutes after being shot). During the cull, badgers are at first shot in the open at night by groups of people who have no prior experience of shooting badgers. When this failed, badgers were caught in cages and then shot. The high-velocity rifles that will be used during the cull have a range of two miles. The protestors in Gloucestershire will continue to go out at night to monitor the cull and to try to protect badgers. The police have warned that in the cull areas there is clear potential for harm to public safety. Badgers in our area are being unfairly blamed for spreading the btb disease amongst cattle. Badgers are scapegoats for the dairy industry, which has failed to clean up its act. Protesters who will be out at night trying to protect the badgers are in danger of being shot by inexperienced marksmen using high-velocity rifles. Badgers are a highly valued part of the Gloucestershire wildlife. The animals have a right to live their lives without being persecuted by the farmers for economic reasons. Culling is cruel. Badgers will suffer terribly as many will be wounded and run off or retreat underground to die a slow, painful death. Culling is unnecessary. If badgers were vaccinated against the disease instead of shot, local people would volunteer to help. 14

15 Additional information for the badger cull Number of herds with btb in Great Britain in 1996 and 2006 Incidents of cattle btb in Great Britain ( ) Number of cattle (reactors) slaughtered due to btb , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,858 The disease is spreading from the South West of England into new areas across England and Wales. Fig 1 The incidence of btb in cattle is out of control - since 2000 it has increased by over 300%. Fig 2 The Irish experience Definition. A reactor is an animal who has reacted to the test for btb. Reactors are therefore animals who have btb. Bovine tuberculosin reactors detectected in Ireland 1959 to ,000 cattle had TB in ,500 cattle had TB in 2012 Ireland experienced a 54% decline in cattle with btb from 40,000 in 2000 to 18,500 in Fig 3 15

16 Additional information against the badger cull Estimated number of cattle culled in Great Britain in 2008 Number of herds with btb in Great Britain in 1996 and 2006 During the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in , the testing of cattle for btb and movement controls were suspended, causing the spread of the disease into new areas. The Perturbation Effect Fig 1 Even in 2008, the peak year for cattle Fig 2 being slaughtered due to btb, there were many more significant reasons for cattle being culled. Badgers disturbed by shooting, disperse, carrying btb with them, thus spreading the disease over a wider area. Fig 3 16

17 Animal Welfare Campaign Group Stop the cull! Animal Welfare Campaign Group Stop the cull!

18 Badger-friendly Scientists Stop the cull! Badger-friendly Scientists Stop the cull!

19 Gloucestershire residents Stop the cull! Gloucestershire residents Stop the cull!

20 NFU (National Farmers Union) Support the cull! NFU (National Farmers Union) Support the cull!

21 Somerset Dairy Farmers Support the cull! Somerset Dairy Farmers Support the cull!

22 DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Support the cull! DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Support the cull!

23 Panel of judges Panel of judges

24 Judges score card Groups that support the badger cull Groups that oppose the badger cull DEFRA NFU Local farmers Campaign group Scientists Local residents Imagination and creativity Effectiveness (Power of persuasion) Entertainment value Factual content Total score Score up to five points for each of the four categories listed on the left: imagination and creativity, effectiveness, entertainment value and factual content. Total score will therefore be out of

25 Campaign against the badger cull Target groups: 1 Key messages/arguments:

26 Campaign against the badger cull Methods and tactics: 2 Slogan:

27 Campaign against the badger cull Presentation: 3

28 Campaign for the badger cull Target groups: 1 Key messages/arguments:

29 Campaign for the badger cull Methods and tactics: 2 Slogan:

30 Campaign for the badger cull Presentation: 3

31 Glossary... Bacterium: single-celled microorganism. There are lots of different kinds - some are essential for life while others cause disease. Plural of bacterium is bacteria. Glossary Biosecurity: measures taken to prevent the spread of disease, such as testing cattle regularly for TB, controlling their movement and preventing badgers and cows from mixing. Bovine turberculosis (btb): is a highly infectious fatal disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium Bovis (M. Bovis). It s called bovine (which means cattle) because it mainly affects cows, although all sorts of mammals can get it, including badgers, rats, foxes, deer and people. Bovine tuberculosis is similar to the human form of TB, which is caused by a different bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Cull: to reduce the population of an animal species by killing individuals. Disease transmission: to spread an illness or disease from one individual to another. Immunity to disease: having enough biological defences to protect against infection or disease. Infectious disease: a disease that can be transferred from one individual to another. A non-infectious disease is one that is not communicable from one individual to another. Movement controls: ban on the transportation of infected animals to prevent the spread of disease. Pasteurisation: the act of heating a food (usually a liquid), to kill microorganisms that may cause diseases or illness. Pilot cull: a trial or experimental cull carried out in a small area over a set period of time to find out if the method works before carrying a full-scale cull across a wider area. Vaccine: a biological substance that prevents the spread of disease by improving immunity to the illness. A vaccine is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe. BCG is a vaccine against tuberculosis that is prepared from a strain of the attenuated (weakened) live bovine tuberculosis bacillus. Vaccine may be given by injection or orally (by mouth). 30