Explore " iain mcgill" with insightful episodes like "Shortcast #60 OTL | Geronimo Update", "The Off the Leash Podcast 2.6", "Live #02 Various | Geronimo Defra Protest", "The Off The Leash Podcast 2.4" and "Shortcast #27 Iain McGill | Geronimo and Defra's TB Test" from podcasts like ""Off the Leash", "Off the Leash", "Off the Leash", "Off the Leash" and "Off the Leash"" and more!
Off the Leash's Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer discuss the not unexpected news from Defra that testing has shown that Geronimo the Alpaca did not have Bovine TB - as a raft of people including Helen Macdonald (Geronimo's owner), vet Iain McGill, and of course Dominic said would be the case.
Another special episode (as we suggested last week), this time focussing on Geronimo the Alpaca. Not an 'inside story' as such (though Dominic was of course heavily involved), instead we’re going to approach the subject in a slightly more tangential way – asking why did the media get so interested in what could have been just yet another bovine TB story, and what can we learn from that about promoting other campaigns; looking at how Geronimo and Helen Macdonald have done so much to re-awaken the debate about bovine TB and the badger cull; and of course we talk about the self-inflicted mess that Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has found itself in – referencing a well-attended protest that took place outside Defra's London offices last week.
A podcast edited from audio recorded by Off the Leash Podcasts in London on September 8th 2021 at a protest event outside the offices of Defra - the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
Defra is the government department that sanctions the badger cull and that just a week ago forcibly removed Geronimo the Alpaca from a farm in Gloucestershire, based on tests that concluded - wrongly - that Gerniomo - who was brought to the UK from New Zealand in August 2017 - had bovine TB. That claim has been consistently disputed by Geronimo's owner, Helen Macdonald, a vet who had been keeping Geronimo in isolation since Defra first issued the order to have the animal killed.
Speakers at the protest included Helen herself who talked about how Defra has harassed her for four years; highly-respected veterinary scientist Dr Iain McGill, Director of the Prion Group; Talk Radio's Kevin O'Sullivan who has been an outspoken supporter of both Geronimo and Operation Ark, the effort to get Pen Farthing and his animal rescue staff out of Afghanistan; and wildlife protection campaigner, writer and broadcaster (and The Off the Leash Podcast co-host) Dominic Dyer who also introduces the other speakers.
Longer video recordings of the protest are available online, but we have edited the key points down to make them available to as wide an audience as possible.
Last week was notable for three things: an alpaca named Geronimo, a report that led the UN secretary-general António Guterres, to call it a “code red for humanity”, and the unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan. We discuss all three. We also have a shortcast from veterinary scientist Iain McGill (who has done so much work exposing the government's failed 'test and slaughter' BovineTB policy), and raw audio from Dominic on the 'Rescue the Animal Rescuers' campaign. Charlie has a close look at a petition which it turns out wants 'animal rights protestors' kept off farms. In Heroes and Villains we praise the animal welfare teams working in Kabul, and slate the politicians that made such a mess of last week. In our 'Shoutout' we give the link to donate to Nowzad, Pen Farthing's animal rescue centre in Afghanistan.
‘Shortcasts’ are short standalone audio comments and statements from conservationists, campaigners, charities, authors and members of our audience. If it needs to be said – say it here!
"Geronimo has shone a light into the deep, dark and murky mire of bovine TB policy...trying to kill one's way out of trouble was never going to work"
Highly-respected veterinary scientist Dr Iain McGill, Director of the Prion Group, has been working with Helen McDonald to assist in her battle with Defra over the proposed slaughter of Geronimo the Alpaca, condemned to death because of an inaccurate bovine TB test which Iain says is part of an outdated 'vicious test and slaughter' policy that doesn't work and needs to be replaced immediately.
Iain does research in disease risk analysis, bovine TB, animal conservation and protection, prions and agricultural policy.
Dr Iain McGill on ResearchGate and Twitter feed
BBC News Geronimo the alpaca: Who is he and why has he hit the headlines?
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