'A thriller, whodunnit and impassioned polemic' (Patrick Barkham, Guardian)
Dominic Dyer picks apart the science and electioneering behind Britain's most controversial wildlife policy: the badger cull.
He exposes the catastrophic handling of bovine TB by the UK government, the political manoeuvring that led to the cull being devised in 2010, and the ongoing close relationship between its two instigators in Britain - the National Farmers Union and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
He shines an unflattering spotlight on Cabinet ministers, the veterinary profession, environmental NGOs Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and WWF, and the BBC, accusing them of doing too little to protect a protected wild species.
Introduction by Chris Packham, naturalist and BBC TV presenter
'For many reasons we had come to love the badger, to cherish and admire it, to protect and celebrate it and of course many still do.
'But the reputation of this essential member of the UK's ecology has been targeted by a smear campaign which has been swallowed by the gullible and fuelled by those with vested interests.'
(Chris Packham, Introduction)
Reviews
'A thriller, whodunnit and impassioned polemic, this is the inside story of the badger cull.
'A vital must-read for anyone concerned about the badger's enduring place in the British countryside.'
(Patrick Barkham, nature writer for The Guardian.)
It should be read by all those battling against government policies that put money ahead of science and the environment. Our natural world is too important to be over-ridden in this way.
Dyer... pays tribute to the 'Badger Army', those many individuals from all walks of life who turned out to protest and importantly, once culling started, to protect the badgers out in the field.
Badgered to Death is for them because it tells them just why they must keep fighting the culls. It will convince any reader how very wrong and ineffective the culls will prove to be.
(Lesley Docksey, The Ecologist)
I enjoyed reading this book and I strongly recommend it to you.
If you sign up to the main message of the book, that these culls are a waste of money, a waste of Badgers and at best a partial and inefficient way to reduce bovine TB then you will be hopping mad right now and reading this book won't calm you down, it will energise you.
(Mark Avery, MarkAvery.info)
A vital read for anyone cares about the future of British wildlife
