When will BADGER CULLING be ended in Ireland? Sinn Fein TD Kathleen Funchion (Carlow Kilkenny) has questioned the Minister for Agriculture about his Department’s cruel cull which has caused the deaths of at least 61,024 badgers in the past 10 years alone
The snaring and killing continues with a licence issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (which has also issued the licences that have allowed barbaric hare coursing).
Responding to Deputy Funchion’s 3rd February 2021 Dail Question, Minister Charlie McConalogue stated: “The Programme for Government contains a commitment to extend the badger vaccination programme nationwide and to end badger culling as soon as possible...”
“As the level of badger vaccination increases, it is expected that there will be fewer wildlife-driven TB outbreaks in cattle and thus less need for badger culling,” he added. “It is likely, however, that some level of badger culling will remain necessary until TB levels have significantly reduced.” See the full Dail Q&A at https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2021-02-03a.2655
The badger cull, driven by the meat and dairy sectors, is responsible for the deaths of an estimated 120,000 badgers since 1984.
Responding to a Dail Question from Matt Carthy TD (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) last July, the then Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary revealed that at least 61,024 badgers have been cruelly snared and killed by the Department of Agriculture in the past 10 years (including 2,428 in the first seven months of 2020) https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2020-07-30a.2534
Bernie Barrett of Badger Watch Ireland has described how badgers suffer under the Department’s scheme: "The method of capture is a barbaric wire snare which holds the helpless badger in excruciating pain until it is dispatched by gunshot. That’s provided the animal has not agonisingly strangled itself beforehand. When nursing female badgers are snared and shot, their cubs are left to starve to death underground."
The Irish Wildlife Trust, which opposes the badger cull and the use of snares to catch the creatures, has stated: "Badgers can die over extended periods struggling in these hideous devices while their young starve underground. Not only is it barbaric and unethical, recent findings have shown it to be ineffective in the war on bovine TB. Nobody has ever counted badgers accurately in this country and while it has always been assumed that they are common animals, this can no longer be taken for granted."
ACTION ALERT
Contact the Agriculture Minister today and demand an end to all snaring and killing of badgers by his Department.
Charlie McConalogue
Minister for Agriculture
Tel: (01) 618 3199
Email: charlie.mcconalogue@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CharlieMcConalogue
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@McConalogue
Urge the National Parks and Wildlife Service to stop issuing licences for the cruel snaring and killing of badgers.
Wildlife Licence Unit
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
90 King Street North
Smithfield, Dublin 7
Phone: (064) 662 7300 / Phone (01) 888 2000
Email: wildlifelicence@chg.gov.ie