Farming industry shares views after BBC airs Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me

Farmers have reacted with a mix of anger and disappointment following the broadcast of Brian May: the Badgers, the Farmers and Me, which aired on BBC2 on Friday (August 23).

The documentary followed the Queen guitarist and long-term opponent of the badger cull on his year-long journey to prove the creatures are not responsible for the spread of bovine TB among cattle.

Instead, the programme suggested slurry played a major role in the spread of bTB, and claimed enhanced testing measures coupled with improved hygiene on farms, could help halt the spread of disease without the need to cull badgers. 

Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU said: "I am also extremely concerned the impact this programme will have on the mental health of farmers who are still impacted by this terrible disease on farm. The toll on them and their families is huge."

NFU Deputy president David Exwood expressed concern about the impact such a programme would have on members of the non-farming community.

The Countryside Alliance, which has called into question of the BBC and the publically-funded broadcaster's ‘impartiality rules' said: "From the outset, it was clear the BBC had made a huge error in permitting a blatant partisan to front a current affairs programme on such a sensitive and emotive issue. By doing so, it has failed in its stated commitment to impartiality. Regardless of the barriers the BBC may put in the way, we will be pursuing a complaint."

NFU Cymru deputy president Abi Reader said she was 'appalled' the disease had been turned into a 'reality -style TV show'.

While North Wales tenant farmer John Jones said he hoped the programme would not have any influence on the formation of Welsh Government policy.

Dairy farmer Charlotte Ashley said it was a ‘missed opportunity to get the truth and struggle out there but it's put bTB in mainstream media so for that we should be grateful.'

Many farmers writing on social media said they ‘could not bring myself to watch it' while others posted comments such as, ‘very one sided' dismissing the programme as ‘a work of fiction'.

One said: "Seems the whole thing has become about whether or not badgers should be killed and the actual issue, bovine TB, has become side-lined."

While another wrote: "Agriculture must be the only industry, that has so many people against it, and no one sticking up for it, that is absolutely essential, for human life to continue."

However, there was also plenty of support for the programme from wildlife campaigners and members of the public. While Anne Brummer, Sir Brian's co-researcher and chief executive of the Save Me Trust questioned the online attacks and said the hope was to find a solution to the problem of bTB.

Meanwhile, a statement from AHDB said it was ‘disappointed' that despite speaking to the programme makers to share concerns about a number of inaccuracies in the preview version it had seen, the aired documentary was still missing ‘key evidence that would have helped to inform viewers on the facts about bovine TB'. The body is considering taking further action.

"This week we went to some effort to highlight to the BBC the importance of including peer reviewed evidence about how the disease is spread, the positive impact of badger culling on TB in cattle herds and the effectiveness of the current 25-year eradication strategy. This was not reflected in the final edit.

"Bovine TB is a complex disease, and we were pleased to see the programme highlight its impact on the mental wellbeing of farmers, as well as the devastating effect it has on animals."