TDs call to end 'State-sanctioned cruelty' to badgers
CALLS TO END Ireland's controversial badger culling programme intensified in the Dáil yesterday after TDs raised serious concerns about the government-licensed practice.
It followed revelations by
The Journal Investigates
that
over 80% of badgers destroyed as part of the Department of Agriculture's TB eradication strategy
were free of the disease.
In a debate marking National Biodiversity Week, Jennifer Whitmore of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit's Paul Murphy both questioned the scientific basis of the killing programme and its impact on biodiversity commitments.
The Journal
/ YouTube
Speaking to Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan, Whitmore highlighted contradictions at the heart of current policy.
'This matter is in the news at the moment. It is another instance where a species that is protected under the Wildlife Act is also being hunted or killed under that Act,' she said.
'The evidence is clear that the culling of badgers is not impacting on or reducing the incidence of bovine TB on farms.'
The TD added that while bovine TB outbreaks are having a 'devastating' effect on Irish farmers, 'we need to work with them to make sure that the solutions that are put forward are actually working'
'They are not working at the moment,' she added.
Advertisement
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called for an end to badger culling (File photo).
Alan Rowlette / RollingNews.ie
Alan Rowlette / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie
Badger kills 'horrific'
Referencing
The Journal Investigate's
investigation, Murphy criticised the 'the ongoing slaughter of badgers by the Department of Agriculture.'
'The Department has killed more than 66,000 badgers in the past ten years. The way the badgers are killed is horrific.
'They are trapped in snares leading to internal organ damage, ruptured bladders and even disembowelment. This includes pregnant and lactating badgers, leaving their cubs to starve to death.'
The TD also referred to figures obtained by
The Journal Investigates
, which showed how more than 4,300 foxes were mistakenly snared in controversial Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) badger traps.
He added: 'According to opinion polls, in excess of two thirds of people in Ireland want it banned as well.
'England has promised to phase out killing badgers and replace it with a vaccination programme following scientific research that found that all the slaughter had no significant impact on bovine tuberculosis incidents in cattle.'
The Journal has contacted DAFM for comment on the TDs' remarks.
Referring to DAFM research indicating that vaccination is 'no less effective than culling', Murphy said the real cause of the country's bovine TB epidemic 'is not badgers,' but the expansion of industrial farming and larger dairy herds.
People Before Profit TD referred to the DAFM badger culling programme 'State-sponsored cruelty' (File photo).
Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie
Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie
'State-sanctioned cruelty'
The People Before Profit politician also questioned the rationale behind the current culling policy.
He said: 'The Department of Agriculture admits that killing badgers is not sustainable in the long term due to its ultimate impact on badger ecology.
Related Reads
Over 80% of badgers culled in government TB programme found to be free from the disease
'It's the next worst thing to losing a family member': The toll of Ireland's bovine TB crisis
'It knows it does not work to control bovine tuberculosis.
Why on earth did it then slaughter more than 7,000 badgers last year, which was the highest number in a decade?
Concluding his statement, Murphy asked the Minister of State to if he would commit to ending the 'irrational, State-sanctioned cruelty and biodiversity destruction'.
On Wednesday,
The Journal Investigates
revealed that of the 10,301 badgers culled and tested in the last five years, 8,211 were found to be clear of mycobacterium bovis – the bacteria that causes bovine tuberculosis.
Figures obtained under Access to Information on the Environment also revealed how a total of 7,319 badgers were culled by DAFM in 2024 alone – the highest number recorded in the last 10 years.
In total, over 66,000 badgers have been destroyed since 2014, despite a 2018 government pledge to phase out the killings in favour of vaccination.
The investigation comes as Irish farmers continue to battle soaring TB rates on farms,
with many experiencing a huge financial and emotional toll
as a result.
—
Patricia Devlin is an investigative reporter with
The Journal Investigates
.
Our investigative unit is dedicated to lifting the lid on how Ireland works. This takes time and it takes resources. Find out how you can help:
Support The Journal Investigates
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside Sunny Jacobs' hellish 17 years on US death row for crime she didn't commit before tragic Irish house fire death
AFTER enduring a hellish 17 years on death row in a Florida prison awaiting execution for a crime she did not commit, Sunny Jacobs found peace in the west of Ireland. But, in a tragic twist, Sonia, alongside her carer Kevin Kelly, sadly perished in a house 5 Sunny was wrongfully convivcted of murdering a cop Credit: Getty 5 Irishman Pringle and Sunny met in New York Credit: Getty The 78-year-old had moved to Ireland a number of years ago with her Irish husband, Peter Pringle, who had also been condemned to death before his conviction was quashed. But Jacobs hailed from across the pond in She spent 17 years of her life on death row in a Sunny, who was 28 at the time, was travelling to Read more in Irish news Her When the couple ran into A shooting incident broke out at the Interstate 95 rest stop where they had stopped, resulting in the deaths of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a Canadian Jacobs and Tafero were tried for murder and convicted, with both sentenced to death row. Most read in Irish News Tafero was executed in 1990, but a malfunctioning electric chair meant it took several attempts and 13 minutes to kill him. Jacobs remained in a tiny solitary confinement cell during her time on death row. COPING MECHANISM It was there that the mother-of-two discovered her love of yoga and used it as a coping mechanism. Walter Rhodes, who had been in the back seat of the car, had received a life sentence for testifying against Jacobs and Tafero. He later confessed to the murder although he retracted the admission. Jacobs, meanwhile, was granted a new trial in 1992 after an appeals HOPEFUL LEGACY She entered into what is known as the Alford Plea on two counts of second degree murder. Both Sunny's parents died in a plane crash while she was incarcerated and her daughter Christina was put into foster care. Her son, Eric, who was aged in mid-teens at the time, supported himself with a part time food delivery job while his mum was behind bars. And when Sunny was released from prison in 1992, both her children had grown up. 'CHOICE TO HEAL' On her exoneration, Jacobs became a leading advocate against the death penalty and teamed up with Amnesty International to campaign against it. She lived in Los Angeles for a time and taught yoga, having solidified her love for the And she vowed not to become bitter, opting instead to leave her children with a legacy of hope. In 2006, she said: "It was very important, that choice I made to heal, rather than to spend the gift of a new life that I had looking backwards at the wrongs that were done to me." MEETING PARTNER In 1998, she met Peter Pringle at an Amnesty International Event which called for the sentence to be abolished. Pringle himself had been sentenced to death in Ireland for the murder of gardai John Morley and Henry Byrne during a He was acquitted in 1995 and the pair married in 2012, moving to Connemara in the same year. Jacobs once told The Irish Times : "The stone in the west of Ireland makes me feel grounded; it anchors me.' 'GONE TO BE WITH HER PETER' In 2008, Jacobs published her book, Stolen Time, about her life in prison, which went on the become a bestseller. In 2023, Pringle passed away. Jacobs remained in Connemara until her death just days ago, after which she was remembered as a "hero". One person said: 'Sitting here numb and sad, Sunny Jacobs has gone to be with her Peter Pringle in the afterlife. "What a sad sad day. Until we meet again, One Love Sunny.' And another added: "I am sad to share news of the passing of my dear friend, a true hero and a champion for Justice, Sunny Jacobs.' 5 Sunny and Peter Pringle were married in 2012 Credit: Getty 5 She spent 17 years in prison in Florida Credit: AFP 5 Sunny was killed in a house fire just days ago Credit: gettyimages
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Trinity College Dublin to divest from links with Israeli universities and firms
Trinity College Dublin is to divest from new arrangements with Israeli universities, firms and institutions. The board of the prestigious Dublin university, home to over 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, made the decision to divest from Israeli links on Wednesday. Pro-Palestinian activists have called on other Irish universities to follow suit. Last May, students formed an encampment at Trinity in protest against a €214,285 fine imposed on the students' union after a series of demonstrations about fees and rent, and the university's ties to Israel. Following engagement with the protesters, the college dropped the fine and said it would complete a divestment from Israeli companies that have activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN blacklist. The students dismantled the camp after Trinity said it would "endeavour" to divest in other Israeli companies, noting that its supplier list contains just one Israeli company which remained in place until March this year for contractual reasons. On Wednesday, Trinity's board received a report from a taskforce set up last October to examine academic and institutional links, including with Israel. Although the report is to return to the board later this year for its final consideration, based on "the strength of the evidence shared", the board accepted the report's recommendations in relation to links with Israel. This included recommendations that the college enter into no Erasmus, collaborative research or supply agreements with Israeli universities, institutions or firms. The college has two current Erasmus+ exchange agreements, on an inbound basis only since September 2023, with Israeli universities: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which ends in July 2025, and Bar Ilan University, which ends in July 2026. The taskforce also found that the college is engaged in a number of EU-funded research consortia which include Israeli partners, and – although none of these were found to be breaching international humanitarian law or human rights – the taskforce said Trinity should not seek to participate in any new institutional research agreements involving Israeli participation. It also said that Trinity should look to "align itself" with like-minded universities and bodies in an effort to influence EU policy concerning Israel's participation in such collaborations. The taskforce noted that Trinity had divested from Israeli companies on the UN blacklist and has no current supply contracts with Israeli companies. But it recommended that the college should fully divest from all companies headquartered in Israel and that it should not enter into any future supply contracts with Israeli firms. The taskforce accepted that the college's existing intellectual property-related contracts are acceptable as they are not collaborative, but said no new commercial relationships with Israeli entities should be set up. Chairwoman of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) Zoe Lawlor said the decision by Trinity was a "landmark step in academic rejection of apartheid Israel's regime". She called on more Irish universities to do the same and paid tribute to students, academics and staff who campaigned for this outcome. "Trinity will now stand on the right side of history, as it did with South African apartheid in the past, but it is nevertheless disappointing that it took so long to get to this position," she said. "We echo the view of TCD Students' Union that it remains disappointing that Trinity has not withdrawn from ongoing projects involving Israeli partners who provide military technology and training that will run until 2029. "Nonetheless, we celebrate each and every step towards de-normalising relations with the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel. We call on the Irish Government and the EU to pay heed to the changing climate, and to act to bring an end to all Irish state complicity with the apartheid regime." The taskforce, chaired by former president of the High Court Mary Irvine, met on 14 occasions and received 77 submissions in total.
Irish Post
3 hours ago
- Irish Post
BBC to restrict overseas access to BBC Sounds, cutting off Irish listeners
THE BBC has confirmed it will block international access to its BBC Sounds platform in 2025, ending online availability of its radio stations, including BBC Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle, for listeners in the Republic of Ireland. The move is part of a broader strategy to make BBC Sounds exclusive to UK audiences, like the geo-blocking already applied to BBC iPlayer. Under the new model, international users will instead be directed to a new audio section on their website, where access is limited to selected podcasts and just two radio stations: BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4. This new restriction will most immediately affect those counties in Ireland along the border; Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth. 'This change ensures BBC Sounds is only available to those who pay the licence fee,' a BBC spokesperson said, adding that it allows the organisation to deliver 'better value for UK audiences'. For listeners in Ireland, particularly those near the border who rely on Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle, the change is seen as more than just technical. Independent media analyst Jim Waterson told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme that while the move makes commercial sense, 'a lot of people in London forget about the small matter of the border on the island of Ireland.' He said many would consider it reasonable to ask overseas listeners to pay or view advertising, 'but there are wider cultural consequences here that aren't being addressed.' Former BBC journalist Shane Harrison said the decision may violate the spirit of cross-border cooperation outlined in the Good Friday Agreement and a 2010 memorandum of understanding between the UK and Irish governments. The memorandum recognised public broadcasting's role in 'promoting cultural diversity, educational programming, and objective public information' across the island of Ireland. Professor Kevin Curran, a cybersecurity expert at Ulster University, added that while geo-blocking is technically simple, the BBC has chosen not to make exceptions. 'If the BBC wanted to allow access in Ireland, it could be done quite easily; it could probably be done in a morning,' he said. The BBC named "rights limitations" as a factor in the decision. Much of its content involves third-party agreements that restrict international use. The change also allows its commercial arm, BBC Studios, to make money from international content through advertising on their website, revenue that flows back into the public service broadcaster. The Republic of Ireland's Department of Culture said the move is 'entirely a matter for the BBC', while Britain's Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that the broadcaster is editorially and operationally independent. While BBC Radio content will remain available via platforms like Spotify, the full experience of BBC Sounds, including live local radio, will no longer be accessible online outside Britain and Northern Ireland. For many in Ireland, the decision is a step back from decades of cross-border media access. As one listener toldFeedback on BBC Radio 4, 'We don't just listen to Radio Ulster out of habit; it's part of our identity.' The Irish Post has contacted the BBC for comment and has yet to hear back.
