AN OVERTON farmer blames the increase of the badger population over the death of two of his cows.

James Crosbie Dawson, owner of Freefolk Farms in Overton, has spoken out over the slaughter of two cows infected with bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

The 67-year-old farmer said a veterinarian found lesions on a cow that was slaughtered for its meat in January.

This prompted further testing, and at the end of March, another two cows were found to have bTB.

He said: “If they give a positive or inconclusive result they are automatically slaughtered.”

Both cows were young, only old enough to have given birth to one calf. The Overton farmer said he has never had a case of bTB on his land before.

He expects more to be slaughtered as tests are carried out every 60 days until no more results turn out positive.

He added: “Some of the positive tests will be false positives and that’s going to result in being quite a few cows that are, in fact, quite healthy.”

Freefolk Farms has a closed herd, which means he only has animals that have been bred on the farm, of about 250 cows and calves. He added: “It is pretty tough on the animals, they fall in a routine and if they don’t follow that routine, it takes them a day or two to get over it.”

Although he was compensated for the animal’s slaughter, at £1,500 per cow, an average dairy cow can earn around £11,000 for Mr Crosbie Dawson. He explained the restrictions put on badger culling means that acquiring a licence to kill badgers is now very difficult.

As a result the badger population is expanding every year and he says that this is connected with the growth of bTB. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency both recognise that the disease is spread to cattle from infected badgers.

Mr Crosbie Dawson said: “I think the whole thing is appalling. This has been mismanaged on a purely political means.”