2012 AGM AND WALK - SUNDAY JUNE 17th 2pm at (New) STOWE VISITOR CENTRE

We will hold a short informal meeting in the Bennett Room combined with a walk to look for signs of badgers and other wildlife in the Parkland at Stowe Gardens, just north of Buckingham. Please contact the group to obtain a free parking permit for the event as the National Trust now run a pay and display car park at the new visitor centre.

27th September 2011 - Badger Vaccination in Bucks

A Buckinghamshire farmer has today agreed to allow the Bucks Badger Group to survey and Vaccinate his badgers. This is a great step forward, and hopefully will encourage other farmers to vaccinate in preference to culling badgers. Any group members who would like to get involved, please contact Bob Simpson as soon as possible.

Caroline Spelman announced today in Parliament that she has new proposals to allow a trial in which farmers and landowners would see how "effectively and humanely" they can shoot badgers in two pilot areas. This is totally outrageous; she clearly has no understanding of perturbation or the issues involved in bTB control...

Bob Simpson now officially certified able to cage trap and vaccinate badgers! Discussions under way with the Badger Trust about how we are going to run this project, however if anybody knows of landowners who might like to have their badgers vaccinated then please get in touch via the usual contact form or phone me.

The Annual Conference will take place from Friday July 29th to Sunday July 31st. The venue is Sheffield Hallam University, hosted by South Yorkshire Badger Group. A really interesting few days for anybody involved with badgers - for details and booking

England - Official response to the English Badger Cull Consultation has been delayed. It is thought that the Minister James Paice was surprised by the overwhelming response against a cull and in favour of vaccination instead.

Wales - Also delayed due to the re-election of the Welsh Assembly Government, however it is thought that plans for the cull are well advanced. The Badger Trust are discussing another legal challenge with the new First Minister, Carwyn Jones. Meanwhile bTB occurence in Wales in falling due to the increased biosecurity measures that have been introduced...

Chairman Bob Simpson has enrolled to become licensed to cage trap and vaccinate badgers as part of a larger project to offer farmers and landowners an alternative to culling. Early days but an exciting project.
If you would like to help in the future with this project - for example with surveying and trapping, probably in bTB hotspot areas, then please use the contact form and let us know.

This years AGM will be held at Water Works, near Dancers End, Wendover, 2:15pm Saturday October 16. Grid Reference SP 905091
The AGM and discussion of badger issues is expected to last 20- 30 minutes, followed by a walk to the local woods to see badger setts, tracks and other signs.

This is it - we have finally got the AGM venue/event sorted...
Chartridge Village Hall, 2pm Saturday 26th September, AGM and discussion of badger issues, followed by a walk to the local woods to see badger setts, tracks and other signs (Some fairly steep paths so please wear stout footwear!)
The Hall is on the main road through Chartridge on the corner of the Cogdells Lane turning.
The Post Code to find Cogdells Lane (which is the best place to park) is HP5 2TW
Grid Reference SP 9299 0382

Regular visitors the the Buckinghamshire Badger Group website will already be aware that the site has undergone a redesign.
We hope you like the new style but if you have any suggestions as to how the site could be improved we would welcome any feedback you have. Please use the contact form for all submissions. 

Defra are starting a voluntary scheme over 5 years to vaccinate badgers in six areas where there is a high incidence of bovine TB in cattle. The project areas are in Staffordshire, Hereford & Worcester, Devon and Gloucestershire. Vaccination is expected to start in Summer 2010 using BCG vaccine (same as the human vaccine). No on-site testing of badgers will be done, all the trapped badgers will be vaccinated and released. The aim of this is to reduce the bTB reservoir in the badger population in these areas, which will hopefully start to reduce the incidences of bTB in cattle. It does NOT mean that badgers are a significant cause of bTB in cattle, but anything that reduces the possible transmission paths of the disease could start to reduce the level of bTB outbreaks.

Welsh consultation - please respond by July 17. Click here to download the pdf. It is a public consultation anyone can respond, so please do. Please remember the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of culling. 

Dear Secretary of State,
Final report of the independent scientific group on cattle TB ... First, while badgers are clearly a source of cattle TB, careful evaluation of our own and others data indicates that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain. Indeed, some policies under consideration are likely to make matters worse rather than better.
Second, weaknesses in cattle testing regimes mean that cattle themselves contribute significantly to the persistence and spread of disease in all areas where TB occurs, and in some parts of Britain are likely to be the main source of infection. Scientific findings indicate that the rising incidence of disease can be reversed, and geographical spread contained, by the rigid application of cattle-based control measures alone.

F J Bourne