Many farmers believe that badgers are responsible for spreading the disease.
The alleged link with badgers was first postulated only in the early 1970s. The Ministry is keen to stamp out bovine TB , not least because all infected cattle must be slaughtered and their owners compensated at market rates. MAFF and its independent advisers are working on a five-point programme , including a detailed study of whether badgers can transmit the disease to cattle. Conservation groups like Brockwatch and the National Federation of Badger Groups say the cull is unscientific, inhumane, and unnecessary . Maff has acknowledged, as recently as May , that the badger-factor is as yet unproved, but insists that it must be investigated thoroughly.