What’s the problem?
Government is planning to carry out a cull of badgers as part of its response to stop the spread of TB in cattle. Whilst TB is a terrible disease, there’s no scientific evidence to show that culling badgers will stop the disease. Scientists who’ve worked with badgers for many years fear it could well make matters worse. The government’s now announced West Gloucestershire as a pilot site for culling but the Badger Trust is seeking a Judicial Review to try and stop the cull
How we can stop a cull happening in the Stroud District
We need to make it clear to the government that a cull would not work in the Stroud District because of the opposition of local people. When a small landowner or someone with badgers in their garden opposes the cull on their land it will be illegal for the cull to take place on that land. If enough Stroud people oppose the cull in Stroud District it will not be practical to go ahead locally. We aim to get 100 Stroud people and organisations signed up to refuse to allow a cull on their land, hence the name… the Stroud 100.
There is an alternative to culling
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has recently completed a detailed report into the vaccination of badgers. They are committed to continuing this programme and would not permit the culling of the badgers in their 6 Stroud Valley nature reserves where vaccination has taken place. They are happy to work with the Stroud 100 and would be very interested to extend the vaccination programme locally with neighbours. Once we’ve got a good spread of landowners we’ll share details with them as to how we can best work with the Wildlife Trust.
The Stroud 100 are not linked to any other organisation, we’re just concerned local wildlife lovers. At the end of March we’ve got 120 local people signed up and between them they own over 1600 acres in the Stroud District including several farmers. So we’re making great progress. We still want more people to join us but we're now going to focus on making sure everyone is clear on the stance of big landowners such as the National Trust and the Church of England.
The Stroud 100 are not linked to any other organisation, we’re just concerned local wildlife lovers. At the end of March we’ve got 120 local people signed up and between them they own over 1600 acres in the Stroud District including several farmers. So we’re making great progress. We still want more people to join us but we're now going to focus on making sure everyone is clear on the stance of big landowners such as the National Trust and the Church of England.
Now we have 100 names we’ll be contacting DEFRA , Natural England and the Minister to make clear the level of local opposition and impracticality of a local cull.
Web links to some of the evidence about badgers and TB in cattle
this is just the beginning if they have there own way, but we must all make sure they dont. please keep united and strong friends !!!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of sharing of this site as a link and there is growing support for a facebook page to be put up solely for this cause. Are there any plans to do so, as it would help spread the word far and wide. Keep up the fabulous work, its wonderful :)
Sending this link to my facebook wall - please everybody do the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. We founded Stroud 100 but we aren't IT savvy. A friend is and shortly we'll be on Facebook !
ReplyDeleteFantastic :) Well done to you all, for making this happen.
DeleteI'm proud to say I'm originally from Stroud, I hope you manage to find 100 Stroud landowners and help the badgers for which I'll be even more proud! I've also shared this link on Facebook :)
ReplyDeleteThe trial culling site is nearer Tewkesbury in Forest of Dean District I think.
ReplyDeleteThough I fully support all efforts to stop this terrible and needless slaughter of our precious wildlife.
We set up the Stroud 100 in December and it's a co-incidence that the pilot cull is scheduled for Tewkesbury which is also in Gloucestershire. Our intention was always to make it impossible for Stroud to be an area for culling and to show how the whole country could protect badgers by taking local action. We hope others will follow our model and protect wildlife where they live.
DeleteStroud 100 are now on Facebook thanks to Poppy Robertson and her great IT skills.
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ReplyDeleteGreat news...we've now got 1,000 acres signed up as being in our cull free zone within the Stroud District as it belongs to the 65 people in Stroud who have joined us in the Stroud 100. We're now just another 35 names away from hitting our target and helping to ensure that we can keep Stroud badgers safe.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work guys and for those of you who haven't yet signed it - please sign the only petition which is fully endorsed by the Badger Trust, once we can reach 100,000 then the whole matter of any badger cull has to be debated by parliament rather than just a few hardnosed civil servants in DeFRA:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/badgers-petition#petition
We've now got over 100 local people and organisations signed up and between them they have over 1,500 acres in the District. They include local author Jilly Cooper and Stroud's biggest employer, Ecotricity. More great news is that the Badger Trust is going ahead with its Judicial Challenge to the cull to try and stop it at a national level. We'll now be writing to the Minister and Natural England about the Stroud 100, suggesting that this will make Stroud a no cull zone. We're now focusing on getting a clear view from the National Trust as they are a large landowners nationally and locally and have so far sat on the fence about whether they will allow culling on their land.
ReplyDeleteIt has just been revealed that the government's own scientific advisers, Natural England,told the government that the approach they are planning to take to cull badgers is not supported by the science. Despite this the government is going ahead with its plans. Yet another blatant example of this planned cull being a nonsense. Details below:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17321086
Can you help Stroud badgers this week ?
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year Stroud Town Council joined the Stroud 100. This coming Thursday Stroud District Council is voting on whether to join the Stroud 100. We need your help to try and achieve this. The Labour Party and the Green party seem likely to support the motion. However the Conservatives have a majority and are likely to vote against the motion. Please e mail at least one of the councillors on the attached link asking them to vote in favour of a local ban on culling on Stroud District Council's land.
Thank you all.
http://www.stroud.gov.uk/opendata/councillors.asp?memparty=Conservative#s=sectioncontent6
Great News ! We are surprised and delighted to be able to tell you that Stroud District Council passed the motion last night to join the Stroud 100 and agreed to stop any potential cull on their lands. There was a healthy debate lasting over an hour but despite the Council being Conservative- controlled the weight of evidence against a cull seemed to win the day.
ReplyDeleteMany many thanks to all of you who wrote to councillors. It really did make a difference because although no Conservative councillor supported the motion 10 of them abstained and so the motion was won.
We've issued a Press Release and hopefully we'll recruit more members and get publicity nationally to encourage others to set up similar groups.
Best wishes
Jeanne and Nick
Great News ! We are surprised and delighted to be able to tell you that Stroud District Council passed the motion last night to join the Stroud 100 and agreed to stop any potential cull on their lands. There was a healthy debate lasting over an hour but despite the Council being Conservative- controlled the weight of evidence against a cull seemed to win the day.
ReplyDeleteMany many thanks to all of you who wrote to councillors. It really did make a difference because although no Conservative councillor supported the motion 10 of them abstained and so the motion was won.
We've issued a Press Release and hopefully we'll recruit more members and get publicity nationally to encourage others to set up similar groups.
Best wishes
Jeanne and Nick
We had an excellent public meeting in Stroud today organised by the Badger Trust.
ReplyDeleteBrian May was there and the room was full to bursting with local people and others wanting to understand what they could do to stop the cull.It was a great meeting and we were able to announce that we now have 2000 acres signed up as a no- cull zone in Stroud.
We also met with Brian and other national charities last week and everyone agreed that we could all work more closely together so watch this space.
The Badger Trust Judicial Review will now be heard on 25 and 26 June and the result will take a couple of weeks to come through.