New Chair and Vice-Chair at Badger Trust

The Badger Trust Board has elected a new Chair and Vice Chair.

Firstly, the board thanked Peter Jackson for his time as Chair as he leaves due to home commitments. Peter was a popular and organised Chair who took Badger Trust forward and helped the many new Board members we have gained in the last 18 months settle into their roles. Peter will continue to be a friend to Badger Trust.

Stepping up from Vice Chair to Chair is Rosie Wood. Rosie has been a strong campaigner for badgers, building on her knowledge of the policy-making world gained from her former work as a senior civil servant and background as a conservationist. Rosie says her priority is to help end the cull and take the ineffectual culling of badgers off the table as a policy option for good.

Rosie explained: “We’ve only ever eradicated two diseases in history – smallpox and rinderpest – both through vaccination. And politicians of whatever party are deluding themselves, the farming industry and taxpayers if they claim bovine TB will be an exception.”

The new Vice Chair is Phil Loveday, well-known for his involvement with the Shropshire Badger Group. Phil is a secondary school teacher who originally trained as a biology teacher, giving him a strong science base. As well as being a badger lover and photographer, Phil is also an experienced and skilled organiser of education outreach programmes at home and abroad.

Phil commented: “I hope to help develop Badger Trust’s work in education so that many more people can learn about these wonderful animals, understand their crucial role in Britain's ecology, and be less likely to be misled by the misinformation we see all too often.”