Some research approaches from political science

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The politics of endemic diseases of cattle

• Some research approaches from political science

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A very fortunate cow
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Bovine TB policy failure?

• Extensive files in National Archives up to 1992
• A very difficult issue for ministers and civil
  servants
• Referred up to prime minister
• Ministers only saw damage to their political
  reputations hostile media

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Some policy strategies

• External reports, some of which caused even more
  trouble
• Constructions of reality the rogue badger
• Folkington Bowl incident
• Resort to stakeholder forums to reconcile
  divergent interests inside tent

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Current situation

• Reactor numbers increasing
• Impacting on relationship between farmers and
  government and development of animal health
  strategy
• Disagreement about evidence base
• Policy experiment in Wales
• Become a partisan issue

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The cultural politics of Brock
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Animal welfare issues

• Mentioned as important unprompted at maximum by 2
  per cent of voters, prompts can push up to 6-7
  per cent
• Well organised and funded stakeholder groups
  represent intensity of feeling
• Willingness to resort to direct action
• Highly emotional

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Political diseases model

• Which diseases acquire political salience and
  why?
• Varies over time and by country
• Model in development and applied to endemic
  diseases of cattle in UK and Australia
• Initial list produced by discussion within team

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Five groups of factors

• Links with human health
• Political factors (5)
• Management factors (6)
• International effects (3)

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Political factors

• Level of public/media awareness of disease
• Position of key industry stakeholder groups
• Position of animal welfare groups
• Does controlling the disease involve an animal
  living in the wild? (NB ferals)
• International animal health reputation

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UK-Australia differentiators

• Importance of agricultural trade
• Pride in Australias reputation
• Policy innovation biosecurity
• Historic experience of exotic incursions
• Awareness of fragility of ecology
• Much of this relates to exotics

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Bovine Johnes disease

• Quite extensive programmes in Australia
• Inter-state tensions
• Concerns about trade impacts
• But above all concern about the reported but
  unproven association between BJD and Crohns
  disease

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More work to be done

• Weighting of factors, but zoonosis status is
  important
• Running model against different diseases to make
  comparisons and also between UK and Australia
• Further work on stakeholder groups and policy,
  role of state vets
• Thanks to Defra Animal Welfare Team

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Some questions

• Is there a useful political science contribution
  to the study of endemic diseases of cattle?
• Why are some diseases more politically salient
  than others?
• http//www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/gld
• http//www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/grant