Bovine TB and intensively-reared cattle

The report, conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter, confirms that there is a higher risk of bTB on farms with larger herds and on those in which the dairy cows are fed high-calorie feed – notably maize. Equally the risk is increased where hedgerows are removed.

The findings reinforce what Animal Aid has long insisted upon: it is intensive farming practices that are to blame for the high levels of bTB in cattle. Culling badgers will not solve the industry’s self-inflicted problems. Badgers are simply being used as scapegoats for the dairy industry’s appalling practices, which it refuses to remedy.

You can end your support of the dairy industry by going vegan.

• Read the article in the Western Morning News