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CALLS TO END Ireland’s controversial badger culling programme intensified in the Dáil yesterday after TDs raised serious concerns about the government-licensed practice.
It followed revelations by The Journal Investigates that over 80% of badgers destroyed as part of the Department of Agriculture’s TB eradication strategy were free of the disease.
In a debate marking National Biodiversity Week, Jennifer Whitmore of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy both questioned the scientific basis of the killing programme and its impact on biodiversity commitments.
Speaking to Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan, Whitmore highlighted contradictions at the heart of current policy.
“This matter is in the news at the moment. It is another instance where a species that is protected under the Wildlife Act is also being hunted or killed under that Act,” she said.
“The evidence is clear that the culling of badgers is not impacting on or reducing the incidence of bovine TB on farms.”
The TD added that while bovine TB outbreaks are having a “devastating” effect on Irish farmers, “we need to work with them to make sure that the solutions that are put forward are actually working”
“They are not working at the moment,” she added.
Referencing The Journal Investigate’s investigation, Murphy criticised the “the ongoing slaughter of badgers by the Department of Agriculture.”
“The Department has killed more than 66,000 badgers in the past ten years. The way the badgers are killed is horrific.
“They are trapped in snares leading to internal organ damage, ruptured bladders and even disembowelment. This includes pregnant and lactating badgers, leaving their cubs to starve to death.”
The TD also referred to figures obtained by The Journal Investigates, which showed how more than 4,300 foxes were mistakenly snared in controversial Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) badger traps.
He added: “According to opinion polls, in excess of two thirds of people in Ireland want it banned as well.
“England has promised to phase out killing badgers and replace it with a vaccination programme following scientific research that found that all the slaughter had no significant impact on bovine tuberculosis incidents in cattle.”
The Journal has contacted DAFM for comment on the TDs’ remarks.
Referring to DAFM research indicating that vaccination is “no less effective than culling”, Murphy said the real cause of the country’s bovine TB epidemic “is not badgers,” but the expansion of industrial farming and larger dairy herds.
The People Before Profit politician also questioned the rationale behind the current culling policy.
He said: “The Department of Agriculture admits that killing badgers is not sustainable in the long term due to its ultimate impact on badger ecology.
“It knows it does not work to control bovine tuberculosis.
Why on earth did it then slaughter more than 7,000 badgers last year, which was the highest number in a decade?
Concluding his statement, Murphy asked the Minister of State to if he would commit to ending the “irrational, State-sanctioned cruelty and biodiversity destruction”.
On Wednesday, The Journal Investigates revealed that of the 10,301 badgers culled and tested in the last five years, 8,211 were found to be clear of mycobacterium bovis – the bacteria that causes bovine tuberculosis.
Figures obtained under Access to Information on the Environment also revealed how a total of 7,319 badgers were culled by DAFM in 2024 alone – the highest number recorded in the last 10 years.
In total, over 66,000 badgers have been destroyed since 2014, despite a 2018 government pledge to phase out the killings in favour of vaccination.
The investigation comes as Irish farmers continue to battle soaring TB rates on farms, with many experiencing a huge financial and emotional toll as a result.
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Patricia Devlin is an investigative reporter with The Journal Investigates.
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I worked as a teacher in a school which catered for a nomadic tribe of sheep and goat herders in East Africa. One of my former pupils is now a Professor of Astrophysics, another is a Professor of Mathematics, still another an Ambassador for his country. (I claim no credit for any of these successes). The astrophysicist was an orphan who was taught to count with stones in the sand by an Irish medical missionary sister. I suspect that I got more out of my volunteering than my pupils did. I would recommend the VSO experience as challenging but life enhancing.
If there weren’t so many volunteers, donors, NGO’s and agencies tripping over themselves trying to “help”, maybe Africans could actually get up on their own two feet and do it for themselves for a change.
I think the general idea is to bring over professionals to help and teach.. Ya know teach a man to fish etc..
People going over to help build or something else they are not skilled in is silly to me when there’s already people in Africa who can do it, free holiday volunteers..
The British government had a similar attitude towards the Irish during the great famine, “Why should we intervene, let them sort it out”. Result 1,000,000+ needless deaths – but Margaret don’t let that stop you from making pig ignorant comments.
Don’t worry, I don’t usually let bleeding heart, gullible, soft touch idiot types, stop me from saying what I think. But thanks for your concern.
Not only did they not intervene they exported food out leaving people to starve! Slightly different situation!
Like Ireland in the 1840′s, Africa is a resource rich country. The resources are mis-managed by a corrupt ruling elite, resulting in the deprivation we see today. So no Colette, it’s exactly the same situation. Europe messed up Africa and became fabulously wealthy as a result. It will take years to undo the damage.
Even if the food exported had been kept here, there would still have widespread starvation.
This country was the breadbasket for Britain, for years Britain had not been producing enough food to feed its own population. Ireland was not developed industrially for this reason, it suited the Brits to keep us agricultural and poor. We also provided vast numbers for the Brit armies and navy, I think 30% of the Brit navy in the battle of Waterloo was irish.
The Brits commissioned reports all through the 1800′s about the situation here and time after time they were told that this country was a disaster waiting to happen. Their callousness when the inevitable tragedy struck is on the record: they used the famine as a tool to clear people from the land so it could be more profitably used for food production.
That would be an interesting thing to do for a year or so.
Anyone who participates in this scam is a fool. How about you take the €1200 you were going to spend on a flight to Africa and give it to a starving family instead? This is just an outlet for smug, middle-class champagne socialists to prove to their facebook friends how “liberal” they are.
I really think that is such an unfair comment. As mentioned above, schemes like this are aimed at providing people with skills to take them out of poverty. They are looking for people to go for a min of 12 months thats a serious committment.
This ain’t about “starving families” mate. It’s about skilled professionals going over to impart their skills to locals for one + years. Get over yourself and you stick-it note global policy solutions.
Don’t ever pay to volunteer – it’s a scam! The money goes to paying people’s wages and not towards the organisation. Anyone can get a flight to Africa / Asia or wherever and volunteer for local charities there without paying to volunteer. People really need to research this more
spoken like a true bleeding heart! bet you’re a great volunteer in your own area too!
Aye, this of course has nothing to do with the VSO it should be emphasised.
You don’t pay to volunteer with vso.
Err Fiona, can’t volunteer as I work long hours as it is. But go ahead be a judge of how wonderful a person is by how much they volunteer at home…! ;)
Charity begins at home,not in africa.
Look up what charity begins at home actually means. It might surprise you.
F’in HATE that saying, spoken by people who haven’t a clue of the suffering of people in other less fortunate countries.
Begins at home but where should it end?
Where do I get my P.P.S number when I get there…..
Do the agencies supply bullet proof vests and body guards?
Most of the CEOs of these Charity’s pick up around 150000 per year, charity for who? The head of Goal went to the High Court last year about a fall out between themselves, I think it cost them 500,000!
Jesus Christ ! The absaloutly horrendous remarks of some people on this article truly make me ashamed to be Irish ! Why do your very best to see the faults in everything ! It’s takes a truly sad individual to find a problem with people wanting to help the less fortunate !
Apparently I haven’t got what it takes as I applied to VSO as an Accountant, via their online application system in 2009. I got an automated response and no other follow up. Very professional and courteous! I subsequently took up a volunteer position with an other INGO, for whom I still work (having worked with them in various roles in 4 African countries).
Did you follow up the initial rejection slip ? The online application system seem stupid to me ….pandering to modern technology. Surely face to face meetings would be more appropriate??
Enough help needed at home. Let them sort themselves out. Most of these countries could not give a flying F about us, and in many cases despise the very people who send or give aid..
Ignore the begrudgers. There are some commenters that can’t tell the difference between VSO and a scam company that might charge 4k for 3weeks ‘volunteering’. It’s probably better those commenters stay at home since they clearly are short on the cop-on you’d need to be a successful volunteer.
Fantastic to read the testimony of people that have actually volunteered and learned how great it feels to give some honest help to people. Yes, there are many political changes needed to make our world more just and getting to know people in poorer parts of the world is one way to begin to understand that. Step up if you have the time.
Standard anti-Limerick comment. Surprised the usual suspects didn’t beat me to it.
And why exactly should these countries give a flying f## about us? Are you really that small minded as to think that their problems are less important then ours ? Also you clearly have never gone out of you way to help anybody from any of these countries and experience their sheer gratitude ! Typical uniformed comment to say the least!
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