Dr. Brian's New Year treats

 

Superannuated stargazer and guitar player,  Dr.Brian May is reported to have created a new  perfume  , bottles of which he will sign, to raise money for .... wildlife. It is said to smell of sandalwood, and badgers. Really?  How quaint.

Dr. May was also recorded on Radio this week selling his success at preventing TB on Gatcombe Farm in Devon,  by amongst other things, vaccinating the badgers locally. Sadly the interactive TB map   tells a very different story, with the latest breakdown (of many) lasting in excess of 6 months. 

And of course Dr. May in an interview offered to Farmers Weekly earlier this year  described such vaccinations as 'futile'.

 

With this we would agree, but not for the reasons given by an aging rock star, hand in hand with the most political of vets. Badger vaccination is indeed 'futile' because as we explained in this posting after four big trials in two countries, it did nothing at all to reduce TB in cattle. Check out the links in that post. 

But Dr. Brian, turning this on its metaphorical head has put the blame on cattle - in particular, slurry and the skin test. How odd then that the same skin test has cleared so many countries of zoonotic tuberculosis. Completely. 

The only thing done differently is their control strategy for infected wildlife, known to interact with the regularly  tested sentinel cattle and slaughter of  any reactors. 

And below is the result: depending on the thoroughness of  the control the better the result for cattle. 

 Sadly, with our Prime minister's  current  bed mate and many of  her friends active on the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, (CAWF) their wish list of  vaccinating badgers (No 22 out of 32 Beatrix Potter type wishes) may be encouraged. However futile that may be.