BADGER CULLING

That this House welcomes the assurance by Professor John Bourne that badger culling will have no impact on reducing the spread of bovine tuberculosis; notes that the virtual extermination of badgers in the Republic of Ireland has failed to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis, which is currently twice as high as in the UK; notes that British areas where badgers have been culled show a four fold increase in cases; and believes that the £80 million paid to farmers in free insurance for cattle destroyed in 2006 should be phased out to encourage farmers to accept responsibility and to restrict non-essential animal movements, which are the principal cause of cattle to cattle infections.