Farm Diary

Royal Show attendance was very low on the Thursday but on Friday it was very busy, with a nice uplifting atmosphere on both days. I hope the general public flocked to the event at the weekend, as they badly need that in order to re-establish the show after last year's washout.

There were not many cattle of course, because of the bluetongue restrictions and risk, but at least there were some!

My niece is working on the farm for the next eight weeks or so and has been thrown in at the deep end, starting at 4.30am every day for the first week but switching to the later shift next week.

She is intelligent, keen, resilient and sunny, and many weeks in the gym would not tone her muscles as effectively as hours of milking cows.

She goes to bed very early and claims that although she is exhausted it's a pleasant feeling compared with the mental tiredness associated with stress and study. She will be joined by a veterinary student in August, who is working here for practical experience.

It's encouraging to see young people coming into the industry, and with the acute shortage of skilled people there is a good opportunity to progress rapidly if one has the ability and to be well rewarded for one's efforts.

By the time you read this, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn will have made his announcement to the House on badgers and TB in cattle.

The leak to the BBC last Friday was undoubtedly timed to spoil his day at the show (which it did) and shows there is unrest within the very limited number of people who knew what he would announce on Monday.

This Government has had more than 10 years to do something about the spread of TB in cattle yet has done nothing so far and seems highly unlikely to grasp the nettle this time.

Let's consider the facts. A total of 28,000 cattle were killed last year, paid for by the tax payer; 13,500 so far this year as we head for 30,000 in total. Inaction on TB condemns thousands of badgers to disease and misery in the infected areas, while the disease marches on, threatening healthy badgers and cows elsewhere.

There is no animal welfare or compassion involved in such a policy. The veterinary profession, Lord King (government chief scientist until this year), Lord Rooker (agriculture minister), the environment, food and rural affairs committee, and many MPs have all backed the need for a wildlife cull.

Should the leaked information be true and Mr Benn decide against a cull, what is the likely reaction going to be?

If the announcement is negative, the NFU will have held a protest at Westminster by the time you read this.

Lord Rooker will be considering his position, as it will be untenable given his strong views and support for common sense.

The NFU will take the Government to court, farmers are very likely to take matters into their own hands and might well stop co-operating on TB testing of cattle and carry a wildlife cull of their own, while the 'cost' element of our discussions with the Government over 'disease responsibility and cost-sharing' will be dead in the water.

Who is looking after the best interests of my cows and healthy badgers in West Sussex?

Does the 'Badger Trust' speak for the public? Why are badgers different to rabbits, foxes, deer, goats, rats, pigeons, crows, magpies and all the other species that have their numbers managed for their own good as well as everyone else's?

Badger baiting is abhorrent, illegal and very rare. We have dog fighting in this country, which is also abhorrent, illegal and rare, but no restrictions on dog ownership. Why should a rare, illegal practice dominate a debate that sees tens of thousands of cattle destroyed, badgers suffer and farmers and their livelihoods destroyed with the human misery and depression involved?

Are we such an unbalanced society? Or are there pressure groups that claim to represent public opinion influencing a spineless Secretary of State and a hopeless Government in total disarray?

This was first published in the West Sussex Gazette July 9,2008. To read it first, buy the West Sussex Gazette every Wednesday.