How Defra will waste your money in 2012/13

JabaliHunter

Well-Known Member
Ok, a few may have merit, but come on...!

Animal Health and Welfare Research Requirements
Competition 2012/2013

Animal Welfare

R1 - Study to investigate position of the neck cut during cattle slaughter and develop practical criteria for assessing its adequacy.

R2 - Study to investigate non-penetrating percussive blow to the head as a humane killing method for piglets, kids and lambs up to 5 kg.

R3 - Identification of Ante- and Post-mortem inspection indicators of ruminant welfare and how they can be applied for welfare monitoring, audit and surveillance.

R4 - Study to identify ways of reducing farmed fish fin damage in hatcheries.

R5 - Investigation of 13-17 year olds’ attitudes and behaviour to animals and development and testing of interventions to promote the concept of Duty of Care.

Bovine Tuberculosis

R6a - A study to design risk based bTB surveillance regimes in England and Wales.

R6b - A study to evaluate risk informed bTB trading schemes

R7 - A study to examine the interactions between cattle and badgers.

Public health protection

R8 - A study to identify and evaluate cost-effective, on-farm interventions against Salmonella spp. and other organisms of importance to the pig industry.

R9 - Description of the UK duck industry.
 
It's not that they are silly, just hardy much of a contribution towards well.... anything

R7 for example:
A study to examine the interactions between cattle and badgers.

Would they like to pay my 7 year old to do that one? The mechanism for the spread of bTB remains unchanged whatever the study works out and at best the findings will be obvious to anyone that lives in the countryside but I suppose the townies might be surprised to read what they will actually eat.
 
Not sure I agree with you there Paul. The mechanisim as you say may remain unchanged but it is not exactly widely agreed upon. Further evidence and research would surely help make tracks inte right direction to limit, minimise and hopefully eradicate bTB. Heavy culls of badgers as reported in various presses will result in large movements of badgers restablishing ground resulting in increased movement. Which makes the answer a tricky one. What are the obvious findings? I do live in the country side, I grew up on a farm with cattle and spent time plenty of time listening to my mother (vet) and father (farmer) wittier on about these sorts of things yet it's not obvious to me. Surely there would be merit in finding possible ways to stop badgers going near udders/cattle? Apache seems to believe it is relevant and I'd consider him here the subject matter expert.

I wonder what the cost is to the agricultural industry from TB?

Ali
 
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As someone who works in an industry which is driven by statistics it seems to me to be simple enough to justify pretty well anything. The question is whether there is a value for money in it. I would humbly suggest that we need to take the tax payer into account now and again and ask if its really worth doing.

I have recently received three letters from the health and safety executive about dangers on farms. Two of them asked me if I would like some free baling twine knots to hang on my gates to remind me as I go through them how dangerous a farm can be. Would like to meet the idiot who thought that one up. Most recently I have been invited to a seminar on farm safety. You can just imagine the coffee being drunk by people all over the land in meetings where they make these things up to justify their salary.
 
Howa I have too much bailer twine holding my hurdles and gates together already, if they represent one death per knot there's been a massacre here:D
 
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