Acting Chief Scientist of Wales resigns in protest
The acting Chief Scientist of Wales, Professor Chris Pollock, has announced his resignation in protest at the decision by the Welsh Government to pursue a policy of vaccinating badgers as a means of controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB) instead of culling them.
Commenting, Professor Pollock said “Vaccination is effectively untried so you are exchanging an approach which has a track record of success in Ireland and elsewhere with one not really tried at all. That was a position I was far from happy with but more significantly from my standpoint was that in the scientific report the Minister commissioned there was a specific comment about the problems of using vaccination in an area where you obviously had a high incidence of disease. Using vaccination in the targeted Intensive Action Area, where the level of infection in badgers is extremely high, in my view goes against the recommendations of his own scientific review.”
“I was certainly not happy about that and as such did not believe I could continue to be a member of the programme board if I did not fully support the programme being pursued.” the Professor added.
The Welsh Government has acknowledged Professor Pollock's resignation.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
