The UK鈥檚 badgers are causing a bit of a stink. Farmers blame the nation鈥檚 largest wild carnivore for passing tuberculosis to cattle, and badgers are being culled in trials to see if this stops the disease spreading. But the government鈥檚 scientific advisers can鈥檛 agree on when ministers should hear the latest results.
Since 1998, the scientists have been monitoring two culling strategies to see if either is better than not killing badgers at all. The 鈥渞eactive鈥� strategy, which involves killing badgers near infected farms, was halted in November 2003 after preliminary results showed it increased TB infections by 27 per cent.
Trials of the 鈥減roactive鈥� strategy, in which badgers are killed before any farm outbreaks occur, are due to finish in 2006, and though the interim results are in, scientists running the trial want to withhold them. 鈥淚f you have uninformed data, it can鈥檛 be used to inform policy,鈥� says John Bourne, head of the team supervising the trials.
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An independent audit panel chaired by Charles Godfray of Imperial College London strongly disagrees, and recommended on 6 April that ministers be told. The trial could yield important information on the background levels of TB in badgers, says Godfray, which ministers need to know if they are to take action to stop the disease spreading.