www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24459424

As I understand it, it's still the case that the only conclusive study on the subject showed that culling badgers actually caused TB to spread...
That old dinosaur from Queen pointed out this morning that most of the shot badgers were caught in cages first and that you could easily vaccinate rather than shoot once they are caught.

At the heart of this is an ethical issue. It is one that applies across all modern agriculture. We introduce non native species into the environment, changing the environment beyond all recognition in the process. We then bitch about the native stuff that's left interfering with our efforts to raise food. It is just wrong. This is why I have always been an advocate and practitioner of alternative methods of feeding ourselves. Ones that work alongside nature rather than against it.

knobmeup wrote: See grey squirrels.

I hear you but the introduction of grey squirrels didn't have a massive effect on the environment. For sure they competed the reds almost out of existence in Britain and they are little bastards with certain trees...but I am on about the complete and utter alteration of the environment through agriculture. Both above and below ground. I've lost count of the amount of farmers I've had this out with. They are proud of their efforts in 'maintaining' the landscape. My argument is that they should be fucking ashamed. Deforestation being critical, destruction of soil structure, pollution of the water table etc etc etc.

When I said we introduce non native species, I should have actually said, selectively bred species. Of both flora and fauna.

I don't think we understand nature well enough to think we can fix it tbh.

Nature doesn't need fixing. It does it itself. It is us interfering that causes the problems.

knobmeup wrote:
Which we then try to fix afterwards aye

You basically just described the entire authoritarian mindset by the way.

Indeed, post green revolution agriculture is a wonderful microcosm of the authoritarian mindset.