Relief at plans to shelve badger cull in Wales in favour of vaccination programme

The RSPCA is delighted and relieved that the Welsh Government has decided not to proceed with plans put forward by the previous government for a badger cull in the Intensive Action Area.

The relief follows an announcement made by the Welsh Government that it will not now be carrying out a cull in North Pembrokeshire as part of a package of measures which aim to tackle the problem of bovine TB in cattle, but will be investing in a five year vaccination programme instead, which will begin in the summer.

The cull had been on hold since June after the Environment Minister announced that an independent Bovine TB Science Review Panel would review the scientific evidence. Whilst recognising that Bovine TB is a very real issue in some areas, the animal welfare charity supports the conclusion of the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) that 'badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain.'

The RSPCA believes that there are other measures that could be used to control Bovine TB, including vaccination and increased cattle control.

Claire Lawson, external affairs manager for RSPCA Cymru said: "The RSPCA recognises that Bovine TB in cattle causes massive hardship for farmers in endemic areas and that there needs to be a sustainable and humane solution. The Society bases its animal welfare stance on moral and ethical values of care and compassion, but relies on sound science to inform its decision-making, formulate its policies, define its strategies, and promote change for the improvement of animal welfare. 

"Badger vaccination has already been shown to significantly reduce the prevalence and severity of disease in the badger population and could reduce the potential for transmission of TB from badgers to cattle.

"We therefore still strongly believe that vaccination coupled with the increased levels of cattle testing, improved bio-security and control on the movement of cattle is the way forward."

FACTFILE:
* The Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB (ISG) examined the science behind a badger cull. It published its final report in 2007 which was the result of painstaking research over nearly ten years,
taking the lives of about 11,000 badgers and costing taxpayers £50 million. It concluded that killing badgers could actually increase the spread of bTB, making matters worse rather than better. It said, "badger
culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain",
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/isg/report/final_report.pdf

Bring your recipes and remedies from days gone by to ‘culinary Antiques Roadshow’

A visit to the Garden isn’t normally the place to go to unearth rare recipes and remedies or to get free digital media training. But the West Wales Food Festival and Culturenet Cymru’s Hertitage in the Community project have linked up to invite people to digitally chronicle old family recipes and remedies to ensure they are not lost for all time. 

 

The West Wales Food Festival, taking place at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Llanarthne on the weekend of 14-15 May, has teamed up with Culturenet Cymru to work with festival visitors to develop a unique digital record of culinary history in Wales.

And an added bonus for those attending the event is that they could receive free digital training as part of the Digital Heritage in the Community project which is supported by Communities 2.0 through the Welsh Assembly Government and European ERDF scheme.
Hazel Thomas, who is the Senior Field Officer for the Digital Heritage in the Community Project and who has worked on the committee which organises the West Wales Food Festival is delighted at being able to link the two groups together to bring about this unique opportunity to chronicle the nation’s culinary past.

She said: “I’m a chef by trade and it’s always been one of my goals to collect all these old recipes and remedies before they are lost. The West Wales Food Festival provides such a brilliant and unique opportunity for people to bring along their family recipes and ensure they are documented and not lost for all time.

“People may be surprised at what they can unearth. Bryn Williams, who is one of the celebrity chef attractions at the festival, and who has just released a cookery book was recently featured on S4C's Wedi 3 magazine program, cooking a dish which includes his grandmother s recipe for Bara brith.

“So people may find their recipes and remedies could find a much wider audience than they think.”

Head of marketing at the Garden David Hardy added: “We think this is a brilliant initiative. It’s a bit like the culinary equivalent of the Antiques Roadshow and, with the hook up to digital training, we are sure there will be many happy visitors that weekend.”

Water-powered buses for Wales

From this June, visitors to the spectacular Brecon Beacons will be able to enjoy using a truly innovative and green mode. Please to welcome Boris and Blodwen - the eco-friendly low-carbon-footprint b-bugs!

The Brecon Beacons, is one of the UK's finest National Parks. Wide-open spaces, and miles and miles of footpaths, make it an ideal location for anyone interested in walking, horse riding, or mountain biking. An ideal destination for a green holiday, in fact!

As we say, there’s another (greener) mode of transport available to anyone who spends a few nights in The Brecon Beacons. The b-bugs are powered by locally sourced electricity, generated by the Talybont-on-Usk micro hydro scheme, powered by Welsh rain.

Best of all, from June until October, the b-bugs can be delivered to your accommodation and used on Brecon Beacons’ highways and byways by anyone in possession of a fully comprehensive car insurance policy.

One of 4 winners at the Green Dragons’ Den Sustainable Development Challenge which ran at the 2010 Hay Festival, the project was awarded £10,000 by the Welsh Assembly Government in order to design and build the two trial buggies.

Just imagine… waking up in a self-catering cottage in some of the wildest, most remote countryside in Britain, and then going to collect your newspaper in an electric vehicle capable of a top speed of 30mph?

Or driving through the country lanes and market towns of The Brecon Beacons before plugging in for a quick re-charge at one of the friendly b-bug charge points whilst you enjoy a pub lunch, shopping or a walk.

It's as easy as driving a go-kart. There are only two pedals to bother with, accelerator and brake – it takes just a couple of minutes of instructions, and then five minutes of driving along the quiet Brecon Beacons’ roads to “catch the bug”.

Full details can be found at www.b-bug.com.