Badger debate

I listened to all of Monday’s badger cull debate.  It was a far better discussion than the previous one on badgers and infinitely better than the one on banning driven grouse shooting. Better though it was, it is interesting to see and listen to politicians debating science as those involved in the debate could not…

A curious strategy indeed

In a week’s time there will be a Westminster Hall debate on badger culling – it’s not the first debate and it probably won’t be the last.  I would hope that MPs participating in the debate might read this essay by Anna Dale which I found very clear, very thorough and really quite shocking. It…

Good for the Wildlife Trusts!

This new e-petition is trending at over 1000 signatures an hour at the moment.  I signed it when it was at about 1500 signatures but it is flying. Now, it is a very sensible e-petition, but interestingly its proposer is Simon King, the Wildlife Trusts’ President Emeritus (!) and is supported by the Wildlife Trusts….

Lord Krebs on Badgers

My old boss, Prof Lord Krebs, was on Farming Today (8 mins in) being interviewed by Anna Hill on Wednesday morning. Lord Krebs provided a masterclass in sticking to the facts, despite some niggling questions from Ms Hill, and getting the message across very clearly. The message was that the ‘too-early-to-tell-really-but-the-figures-are-out-there’ results from the Badger…

Not so Fine Shade

Fineshade Wood is not far from where I live, so I feel a bit guilty that I haven’t paid more attention to what is going on there.  It’s a place I know, and like, and visit now and again, but it’s c40 minute journey from where I live, so if I want to visit a…