Bovine TB In Pigs

Diamond Geezer

Diamond Geezer

Gone But Not Forgotten
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A worrying development with the local news reporting that some pigs sent to an abattoir from a farm near Bodmin have been diagnosed as having bovine TB. The farmer in an interview blames hungry badgers who invade his sheds although at present his cattle have been tested and given the all clear.
 
Oh, yeah, the badgers are to blame - again. If the farmer knew they were around and were invading his sheds, wouldn't it have been sensible to either have had them gassed, as I believe DEFRA is rather fond of doing (to combat TB spread), or to have put out leftover food near their holts for them to scoff, and keep clear of his oinkers?

How long had he known about badgers on his farm, etc.? How long has he been sending pigs to the abattoir since knowing badgers were invading the sheds? Had he reported badger activity in his sheds prior to being rumbled by the abattoir?
 
Ermm..... I suggest if you want to know more about TB - either bovine or porcine, tune in to the omnibus edition of Farming Today early this Saturday morning.

Suffice it to say that is extremely rare in porkers and no responsible pig farmer would be trying to prevent badgers getting into his porker sheds routinely. In this particular case, the most likely way of the TWO porkers that were infected was that a lone badger strayed into the shed and was killed and polished off by the porkers - pigs being natutrally omniverous as we are and not averse to badger sarnie or two should it come their way.

It is, of course, illegal to kill or destroy badgers or their setts. DEFRA is only supervising badger culls in selected areas and evidence to date shows that TB is still rife. Unless the cull has a remit to test all badgers in that area for TB before starting a cull, the cull and its results are not very reliable - it is known that if you cull healthy populations, then you are leaving the area open for carriers to come in and infect the previously healthy animals.

Unfortunately, testing for TB is notoriously difficult and inaccurate - hence many reactor cows being destroyed quite unecessarily which is always picked up when the post mortem is done. Funny how Joe Public raises their hands in horror when poor old badger gets it but couldn't give a proverbial when a cow has to die because they're a reactor.....

Incidentally, the same pattern of culling foxes also occurs - killing strong, healthy foxes by whatever method is a bad idea, as such diseases as distemper, mange etc then become rife among the weaker fox population.
 
Jules, did you mean to say 'no responsible pig farmer would be trying to prevent badgers getting into his porker sheds routinely'? Or should that be 'ANY responsible...', or have I missed some point entirely there? :confused:
 
I meant 'no' as in if all farmers had to put in place preventatitive measure for any possible eventuality then they'd never have time to draw breath, let alone sleep.... B)
 
HT: I'm going to generalize a bit here, but if history is anything to go by, we are, in fact, all doomed. In spite of the Hunza eating dried apricots and living, as a race, well into their 100s, I'm afraid we all do have to fall off our perches some time.

Even with your diet (folks, this is going to be SO hard on him, I hardly want to break the news), the chances are that you're going to die one day. :o Additionally, the latest Government tables on Immortality Rates show absolutely no increase over the past 1,000,000 years.
 
Kri, I became a veggie for moral rather than health reasons. As far as immortality goes, in our lifetime they may discover ways to increase human life span. During those extra years they may discover ways of increasing it again, and so on, until they discover the death gene and inevitably a way of reversing ageing. The longer you live the greater your chance of it happening in your lifetime. No luck if it all kicks in a week after a disease in the meat chain has seen you off.

If you think diet has no bearing on lifespan google 'cron diet'.
 
Well, having had two relatives die within a week of one another, both from cancer, one 83 the other 90 and both raging carnivores, I am not so sure of your logic, Tom!!

They may well be able to extend our lifespans but to what purpose? Just to be incapicitated for longer? A drain on society? Mumbling toothlessly in some Old People's Home somewhere?
 
I have a mate who is a manager of a clay pigeon shooting range and will eat anything he shoots. His motto is 'if it flies it dies'. He told me that 'badger ham' is very tasty indeed. (He hasn't personally killed a badger but mixes in the circles where this delicacy is available.)

I must stress that his views are not shared by myself.
 
People who love stereotyping would say that he eats badgers so that he can keep sheep alive for other purposes.

As I'm not one of them, I won't say it.
 
Originally posted by Songsheet@Jul 15 2005, 09:37 AM
Well, having had two relatives die within a week of one another, both from cancer, one 83 the other 90 and both raging carnivores, I am not so sure of your logic, Tom!!

They may well be able to extend our lifespans but to what purpose? Just to be incapicitated for longer? A drain on society? Mumbling toothlessly in some Old People's Home somewhere?
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Presumably you didn't google 'cron diet' Julie.
 
Originally posted by Honest Tom@Jul 15 2005, 12:32 PM
Presumably you didn't google 'cron diet' Julie.
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But I did. the first page I went to started: "As I see it, the basics are simple: Subject to certain limits, the fewer calories you consume, the better your health and longevity." It occurred to me that it didn't work very well for Bobby Sands.
 
Brian, CRON stands for calorie restriction with optimal nutrition. What nutrition did Bobby Sands get?
 
Tom, why would I want to live another few years as a decrepit old bird who is hanging on in there purely because I watched every last morsel I ate, being oh-so-careful not exceed a certain number of, presumably, meat-free calories each day.... ??

Hmmm??

Bollox to that... without going to excess, I fully intend to ENJOY my food in the way I always have. I live to eat, I'm afraid, not t'other way around. I love eating, cooking and doing the whole entertaining thing and (apart from one other activity), not a lot gives me more pleasure than seeing friends enjoy food that I've prepared.
 
Originally posted by Songsheet@Jul 15 2005, 02:25 PM
Tom, why would I want to live another few years as a decrepit old bird who is hanging on in there purely because I watched every last morsel I ate, being oh-so-careful not exceed a certain number of, presumably, meat-free calories each day.... ??

Hmmm??

Bollox to that... without going to excess, I fully intend to ENJOY my food in the way I always have. I live to eat, I'm afraid, not t'other way around. I love eating, cooking and doing the whole entertaining thing and (apart from one other activity), not a lot gives me more pleasure than seeing friends enjoy food that I've prepared.
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Again, you've not read it Julie. It's not neccessarily a vegetarian diet and the whole point of it is you'll postpone being a decrepit old bird (i.e. it's not about being a decrepit old bird for longer).
 
I have read about CRON, Tom - a very sensible approach to nutrition BUT, unfortunately, it will not guarantee a longer life or one free from non-food related diseases and it will not stop the natural ageing process.

Eating properly is common sense but slavishly following any one eating pattern or diet leads to obsessing about food and feelings of guilt about every 'naughty' calorie that passes through your mouth (er Brian? Leave it... B) ). I should know, I'm female and this is a subject we excel at!!

Nutrition alone will neither postpone old age nor prolong your life. At best, a combo of nutrition and exercise will go some way to achieving those goals if that's your aim but nothing beats being happy and content in your own skin and obsessing about every item of grub that I or those around me swallow ain't gonna get me there...
 
Originally posted by Songsheet@Jul 15 2005, 03:05 PM
I have read about CRON, Tom - a very sensible approach to nutrition BUT, unfortunately, it will not guarantee a longer life or one free from non-food related diseases and it will not stop the natural ageing process.
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It doesn't claim to Julie. It claims it will very likely SLOW DOWN the natural ageing process and postpone the onset of age related diseases.
 
It may well slow the ageing process but at the same time you're slowing down naturally anyway. As I said - and which you've chosen to ignore - those that live longest eat healthily (usually but not always a mixed diet) AND tend to be those who are happy in their own skin.

And judging from the tone of most of our posts on here, I reckon as I don't either drink or eat to excess, take a fair bit of exercise, don't smoke and appear to be an altogether sunnier person than you, yer miserable old b@stard, then I'll take my chances over yours!

At least I am aiming to die happy, my sweet!! v B)
 
Originally posted by Songsheet@Jul 15 2005, 04:27 PM
It may well slow the ageing process but at the same time you're slowing down naturally anyway. As I said - and which you've chosen to ignore - those that live longest eat healthily (usually but not always a mixed diet) AND tend to be those who are happy in their own skin.
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Says who.


And judging from the tone of most of our posts on here, I reckon as I don't either drink or eat to excess, take a fair bit of exercise, don't smoke and appear to be an altogether sunnier person than you, yer miserable old b@stard, then I'll take my chances over yours!
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A bad value bet I'm afraid.


At least I am aiming to die happy, my sweet!!
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As a camp commandant Julie how can you die happy as you must surely know your fate. As you head down the tunnel there are two openings. Yours is the one with the sign above it stating "Abandon hope all ye who enter here". Doomed I tell ye. Doomed.
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It reminds me of the old one that if you give up smoking, drinking, gambling and promiscuous sex you'll live longer. Or maybe it just feels like longer.
 
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