In 1971, a dead badger with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) was discovered in Gloucestershire on a farm that had experienced a cattle herd breakdown due to bTB. This was the first confirmed case of bovine TB infection in a badger in the UK. Ever since, there has been regular coverage of the ‘badgers and bovine TB issue’ in the British press (and further afield), particularly in connection with the pros and cons of different types of badger control programmes.
Indeed, there has been so much coverage of this issue on and off over the last four decades that if all the words used were put end to end they might even stretch to the moon and back. We’ve chosen some highlights from recent years that are especially informative and insightful – and sometimes uncannily farsighted. Others we’ve included because they’re just good fun. We’ll be adding to these over time.
In the meantime, we hope you find these selected media highlights thought-provoking and perhaps even at times entertaining, albeit in a slightly black way, tinged with surreal sense of déjà vu…