Vermin, Victims and Disease: UK Framings of Badgers In and Beyond the Bovine TB Controversy

Cassidy, Angela

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9523.2012.00562.x

Cited by 63 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Secondly, specific codes were generated within NVivo that applied to each theme (Auerbach & Silverstein, 2003), which used both axial 15 and open coding 16 (MacMillan & Han, 2011). Thirdly, a final iteration of coding was then conducted at the end of data collection to validate the findings and the coding framework (Cassidy, 2012;Saldaña, 2010). Quotes used in the results section were selected for their typical representation of a particular theme that emerged from the data collected during the interviews and participant observation (Auerbach & Silverstein, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the human dimensions of coexistence between carnivores and people: A case study in Namibia

Rust¹

2018

Preprint

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Many carnivore populations were in decline throughout much of the 20 th century, but due to recent conservation policies, their numbers are stabilising or even increasing in some areas of the world. This, compounded with human population growth, has caused increased livestock depredation by carnivores, which threatens farmer livelihoods, particularly those in developing countries such as Namibia. How to resolve this so-called "conflict" between carnivores and livestock farmers remains challenging, in part because some mitigation strategies have proven somewhat ineffective or unacceptable. By using a case-study approach on the commercial farmlands of northcentral Namibia, I aimed to understand the complexity of the human dimensions affecting coexistence between carnivores and people in an unprotected working landscape. Specifically, my objectives were to 1) develop a participatory decisionmaking exercise to analyse the views of stakeholders on how they would like carnivores to be managed in unprotected lands, 2) understand how the media framed financial incentives to improve human-carnivore coexistence, and 3) determine if there were any underlying social, economic or political causes of negative human-carnivore interactions on commercial livestock farms.To answer objective 1, I developed a new decision-making exercise that combined Q-methodology and the Delphi technique to determine whether a diverse group of stakeholders could agree on how to manage carnivores on commercial farmland. A strong agreement was reached by participants: providing conservation education and training on livestock husbandry were acceptable and effective ways to improve coexistence with carnivores. This new also method highlighted areas of disagreement between stakeholders and showed that there were two different narratives on how carnivores should be managed. This method could be used by policy makers to help with participatory decision-making for resolving other conservation conflicts.To answer objective 2, I undertook content analysis of national newspapers to determine how the media framed articles on financial incentives to mitigate this conservation conflict. The most common (30%) financial incentive discussed was compensation -many (61%) of these articles framed compensation positively. Niki Rust © 2015However, upon categorising these articles into those where respondents were enrolled in compensation schemes compared with those who were not, a clear pattern emerged: articles were more likely (89%) to be framed ambivalently or negatively when respondents had experience of this financial incentive compared with respondents that did not. These results can help conservationists plan more effective communication interventions and anticipate issues that can affect the success of mitigation strategies.To answer objective 3, I undertook eight months of participant observation on livestock farms and interviewed 69 respondents and found that reported livestock depredation was associated with increased instances of poaching of wildl...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the human dimensions of coexistence between carnivores and people: A case study in Namibia

Rust¹

2018

Preprint

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“…In bovine TB policy, Wilkinson has claimed that rather than expertise depoliticising policy, the expertise itself has become politicised (Wilkinson 2007). Grant (2009) andCassidy (2012) have discussed how the public's understanding of the badger has been constructed and how this influences policy. Cassidy claims there are two opposing constructions of the badger.…”

Section: Contested Science Plural Values and Political Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bovine Tuberculosis and Badger Control in Britain: Science, Policy and Politics

McCulloch

Reiß

2017

J Agric Environ Ethics

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“…In contrast, in Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mr Tod, Tommy Brock uses his cunning to kidnap baby rabbits in a story personifying the natural realities of predation (Cassidy 2012, p. 205). Both Cassidy (2012) and Grant (2009) propose that different framings of badgers need to be considered in bovine TB policy making. This paper agrees with Grant and Cassidy, and indeed argues that a thorough ethical analysis should inform bovine TB and badger control policy.…”

Section: Aesthetics and Beautymentioning

confidence: 99%

Bovine Tuberculosis Policy in England: Would a Virtuous Government Cull Mr Badger?

McCulloch

Reiß

2017

J Agric Environ Ethics

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Bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) is the most important animal health and welfare policy issue in Britain. Badgers are a wildlife reservoir of disease, although the eight-year Independent Scientific Group (ISG) Randomised Badger Culling Trial concluded with a recommendation against culling. The report advised government that bovine TB could be controlled, and ultimately eradicated, by cattlebased measures alone. Despite the ISG recommendation against culling, the farming and veterinary industries continued to lobby government for a badger cull. The 2005-2010 Labour government followed the ISG advice and decided against a cull. The 2010-2015 Coalition and the 2015-present Conservative governments have followed a badger culling policy. This paper investigates whether a virtuous government would cull badgers. It provides an overview of virtue theory in the context of government animal health and welfare policy. Bovine TB and badger control policy options are then analysed in the context of the virtues of justice, wisdom, integrity, loyalty, curiosity, trust, empathy, compassion and aesthetics. Justice is the first virtue of government, and badger culling is seriously problematic from a virtue perspective given that five badgers are culled per cow that avoids slaughter as a result. Analysis based on other virtues strongly suggests that government should not cull badgers. The paper concludes that a virtuous government would not cull badgers as part of policy to control bovine TB in cattle.

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Vermin, Victims and Disease: UK Framings of Badgers In and Beyond the Bovine TB Controversy

Cited by 63 publications

References 48 publications

Understanding the human dimensions of coexistence between carnivores and people: A case study in Namibia

Understanding the human dimensions of coexistence between carnivores and people: A case study in Namibia

Bovine Tuberculosis and Badger Control in Britain: Science, Policy and Politics

Bovine Tuberculosis Policy in England: Would a Virtuous Government Cull Mr Badger?

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