Oxfordshire Badger Group and friends joined Rob Pownall  in central Oxford last Friday (7th March) to help present Protect The Wild's petition  demanding that key Oxford academics step down from DEFRA’s so-called “independent” review into whether the badger cull has been effective. And, as you might have guessed, they weren’t exactly thrilled to see us. 

This review, commissioned by the UK Government, is supposed to assess the latest science on bovine TB (bTB) control. But from the outset, it has been anything but independent. Instead of assembling a genuinely neutral panel, DEFRA has once again appointed individuals with long-standing pro-culling views, undermining public trust in science-based policymaking.

On the day, we visited three key buildings associated with members of the review panel . While we handed it in at each location, whether it actually made its way to the intended recipients remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure—Professor Godfray and his colleagues would have felt our presence that day. We lay the deaths of  nearly a quarter million badgers firmly at their door.

Thanks to us - and your support for this petition - we had excellent local media coverage. We thank you for helping us spread the message that Oxford University has blood on it's hands. As we said on Friday, "we want Oxford scientists to either stand down or tell the truth - that they got it wrong and that culling has no place in the management of bovine TB". But they won't even engage in a honest, open, scientific debate. We are appalled that senior scientists from one of the worlds leading universities can behave like this. 

You may want to read Protect the Wild's report on the day and how other groups are objecting to DEFRA's latest consultation. 

Please sign and share our latest petition calling on Government to "End the Badger cull and adopt other approaches to bovine TB control" At 100,000 signatures it may force a debate in parliament. With your help we can end END THE CULL