They don't like it up 'em...

During the last year or so, some Welsh badgers have had the benefit - or not - of a very expensive BCG jab.

 Ignoring the protocol adopted by the FERA 2010 'trial', which pre-screened its badgers for existing evidence of exposure to disease - and rejected about half - the Welsh teams ploughed into a grossly infected population regardless. They trapped any badger who volunteered - infected or not, and, while offering sympathy and often a TV camera, jabbed and released it.

The cost of this charade was revealed in this FW article as £662 per badger.

 But the latest figures released by Defra show that in January 2013, in the whole of Wales, cattle herds restricted by 'Badger' Tuberculosis numbered 1173. This is a 29 per cent increase over January 2012, when 906 herds were under restriction.

But in the Dyfyd area, which includes the 1,424 badgers jabbed with BCG in Pembroke, the increase is 31 per cent. Up from 487 herds under restriction in 2012 to 639 in January 2013.

 And Farmers Guardian reports an almost doubling of cattle slaughterings for Wales in January 2013.

In Wales, the number of cattle slaughtered in the month nearly doubled to in excess of 800, compared with January 2012, despite the Welsh badger vaccination programme getting under way last year.

So despite £662 per badger, and a blaze of publicity, if results are anything to go on, it could be said that those vaccinated Welsh badgers really don't like it up 'em..