Stroud bids to make farmers' market badger friendly (From Gazette Series)

Stroud District Council's bid to make Stroud Farmers' Market badger friendly earns them Golden Badger Paw award from Gloucester Against Badger Shooting

7:44pm Friday 15th March 2013 in News By Daniel Chipperfield

BADGER-friendly traders may soon be the only stall-holders welcome at Stroud Farmers' Market.

Stroud District Council, the first district council in the country to refuse the culling of badgers on land they own or manage, is to put a motion forward, which if passed will only allow traders at the award-winning market who are prepared to pledge that they won’t have anything to do with badger culling.

Cllr Paul Denney (Lab, Cam West) will put forward the motion to full council on April 25 which will include this statement:

“Will not allow any business to trade at any event organised by or on behalf of Stroud District Council unless they have first confirmed in writing that they will not allow the culling of badgers on their property or to purvey any goods which they know to be sourced from businesses taking part in the planned cull.”

In recognition of their past and present efforts, local campaign group Gloucester Against Badger Shooting (GABS) have presented the council with their ‘Golden Badger Paw’ Award.

Jeanne Berry of GABS said: “Stroud is such a great place to live and it is so re-assuring that our elected district councillors are so in touch with the views of local people.

“Badgers are an iconic Gloucestershire mammal and the work of the council shows that it’s not too late to stop the planned cull from going ahead.

“We hope local people will follow the example of the council and stand up for what’s right. Bovine TB is a terrible disease but culling is not the solution.”