Labour and wildlife policy

On Nov 13th, I attended a brilliant talk by Dominic Dyer, the CEO of the Badger Trust. A Party member, he previously worked for Tony Blair, as a Young Labour organiser in 1995, when he and TB discovered how passionately young people felt about the environment and wildlife. TB recognised this, and put a whole range of wildlife protection and animal welfare policies in his manifesto. During the last Labour government, there was also an extensive scientific study carried out into the value of culling badgers in the fight against bovine TB in cattle. The evidence was clear that badger culling did not work.
Compare this to David Cameron`s "Greenest Government ever" which continues culling despite the evidence that it is inhumane, ineffective and hugely expensive. He can only be persisting with this for political reasons, and siding with land owners and the shooting and fishing fraternity rather than protecting our wildlife.
There is massive public antagonism to the cull of badgers and lack of protection of our wildlife, as shown in the huge petitions to the government, masses of letters sent to MPs, people taking to the streets in towns and cities in marches, and challenges to these government policies in the high court.
Ed Miliband needs to make wildlife protection a key issue in his manifesto - stopping the cull, not allowing hares to be shot during breeding time, banning the use of snares and stepping up the fight against wildlife crime. It would be hugely popular with both first time voters and the wider electorate.
Read more about wildlife issues in Dominic`s article in the November issue of Labour`s "Progress" magazine

Dominic Dyer with members of Leicestershire and Rutland Badger Group