Andrew George welcomes Baroness Parminter to view badger vaccination project

Posted on: 24th October 2014

West Cornwall MP, Andrew George, will show Parliamentary colleague Baroness Kate Parminter how the Penwith badger vaccination project is progressing this Saturday morning 25th October.

Kate is a former executive of the RSPCA and former Chair of the Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals and has a strong interest in environmental and animal protection matters.

Andrew will introduce Kate to the team managing the volunteer led badger vaccination project he set up with the Zoological Society of London and which is now being rolled out across the Penwith peninsula. Professor Rosie Woodroffe (Project Manager) and Seth Jackson (local coordinator) will demonstrate the project, and it’s likely contribution to the eradication of bovine TB in cattle.

The pilot vaccination project is taking place against a backdrop of two pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Mr. George said “It’s a pleasure to welcome Kate Parminter to West Cornwall. She is highly respected for her animal protection campaigns and her expertise in environmental science. She has always said that she was particularly keen to find out more about this, the first community-led badger vaccination project in the country.

“Our project has received strong co-operation and support amongst local farmers and landowners and has popular backing amongst volunteers from the local community.  It is great that we have the full support of the Zoological Society of London, the National Trust, the Wildlife Trust and other respected bodies.

“Farmers who are at their wits end deserve support, but I fear that the Government’s cull runs the high risk of making the problem of bovine TB worse. That is not a risk which the vaccination programme faces.”

Photo attached: Andrew George MP and Professor Rosie Woodroffe with an anaesthetised badger)

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