Government sanctioned murder of a very British species

One of my earliest memories is walking with my Dad in Holford Combe on the Quantock Hills to look for a badger sett. Of course we didn’t see any as it was daylight but I was excited nevertheless. I did however get to meet a badger and her cubs not long after up at Fyne Court one evening at a talk given, I’m guessing, by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. She was magnificent and a delight to see.

Contrary to our local MP’s ill-conceived ideas of badger ‘extremists’ I attended a local public school, as a boarder, played hockey for Somerset and now even hold down a job and a mortgage too. At a young age I learnt to ride a horse and attended a well know riding school on the hills but luckily for me my parents taught me to love and respect wildlife and so my riding skills never took me into the murky world of hunting. For that I am eternally grateful.

So what have I learned since the badger cull…

Our British farming industry. Before the badger cull I ate meat and drank milk, I don’t and can’t anymore. Once you delve into the murky world of why we are having this cull and who is behind it you discover a world of horror and inhumanity in our farming industry here in the UK. Exporting live animals and intensive farming that leaves animals crippled.

Politicians. Before the badger cull I never took any notice of the goings on in Westminster let alone bothered to speak to my MP. Since the cull became a reality I have met my MP in the HoC & written to him on numerous occasions.

Spin, Lies & deceipt. The BBC was a brand I believed in and trusted since as long as I can remember. Now it comes across to me as a govt funded mouth-piece and sadly I have little faith in any of its news stories anymore. The newspapers and journalists seem to all have their balls being held in a tight grip by the govt too except for a few people sticking their necks out to tell people the truth behind the cull.

Defra. Like MAFF before them, can’t be trusted to look after our environment. Headed up by Owen Paterson and working with Richard 'Buzzard’ Benyon & David Heath who all have their own agendas for backing the cull - MONEY from exports of our meat to overseas.

Bloodsport supporters. Show their true colours on social media and the worst side of human nature

HOWEVER, despite all of this and best of all I have met and made friends with some of the most amazing people, my kind of people, people from all walks of life with incredible skills who are going out into the fields every night & day to protect the badgers and their setts from the people being paid to shoot and kill them by our government acting on behalf of what seems like the National Farmers Union.

A lot of us are local people, who live and grew up in the area. Some of us are farmers, vets, doctors, lawyers, film makers, scientists, hunt sabs, NGO’s, housewives, retirees and children, not forgetting our four-legged friends. Many people have taken time off work to be there or are giving up their evenings to walk in patrols along public footpaths. Some are travelling in from outside the county as they feel that they can’t just sit by and do nothing. All of us standing side by side out there in the cold, wet and dark nights or at home on the internet, marching, protesting locally, wiriting to their MP’s, leafleting, speaking on the radio or writing articles in the press - Thank you. We have a great many people behind us but most of all we have the scientific community and what is RIGHT on our side.