18/02/2013 Inside Out West

Hello from Somerset where 70% of the county's badgers are due to be

wiped out this summer. With the badger cull back on, we investigate

whether vaccination could solve the problem instead.

We expect it to reduce the transmission of TB from one animal

to another. Also, we meet the small teenager

with big ambitions. Look at you doing a TV show here.

I wouldn't have done this one year ago.

And rebuilding Exmoor's historic Tarr Steps Bridge.

I'm Alistair McKee and this is In our first film tonight, we are

looking ahead to a huge badger cull planned for Gloucestershire and

Somerset. It is a pilot scheme to see if tuberculosis in cattle can

be brought under control, but while most farmers welcome the news, and

most conservationists are against t our reporter Will Glennon wonders

what happened to that other solution, vaccination.

Owe vine tuberculosis is one -- bovine Bovine TB TB is one of the

biggest challenges facing our farmers. It has a huge effect on

not only only myself, but the family and the staff on the farm.

It costs the taxpayer �100 million a year. To control the disease, the

Government is proposing killing badgers on a widespread scale.

cannot get rid of TB in cattle unless you deal with the wildlife

factor as well and that's why we have got to do something about the

badger population. What about cattle vaccine

vaccination? It is not going to solve the the all the problems. It

is another tool we can use in the fight against bovine Bovine TB TB.

-- Bovine TB Bovine TB. It is a big day on Stephen

Britten's farm. I have come to see his latest TB test. All 270 of his

cows have to be checked to see if they have got the disease. The vet

injected the cow in the neck with the tuberculosis skin test and now

he is measuring the lumps to see if there is a reaction. What is it

like having to go through this? Well, you are on tender tenterhooks

because you are waiting for the vet to read the test and you are hoping

and praying you don't get reactors. There has been six of us doing the

cows and young stock. It is a very time consuming time and it is extra

hassle for the cattle. They are having to go through the crush and

be handled twice and they don't like it. So it is not good for

anybody really. Sometimes the cows are clear, but

if they are infected, they have to be slaughtered. Today, three three

cows are inconclusive, they have to be isolated and their milk can't be

consumed and they will be tested again in 60 days and Steve can't

buy or sell any cows. So it has been another difficult

day for Steve. His herd isn't TB- free, he is under restrictions for

the next two months with all the problems that brings.

The frustration for me is we are not making any progress. Wher not

having a -- we are not having a test and thinking there will be one

more test because we are making head way on combating TB and it is

not happening and it is frustrating for myself and the next generation

that may or may not farm here. Farmers want something done and

that something this summer is going to be the badger cull.

Having looked at the evidence and I have looked at the evidence over

many years, I am convinced that badger control is the right thing

to do. Many scientist and conservationists

remain opposed to the cull, particularly strong opposition has

come from the RSPCA. What is your view on the cull?

say it is wrong. The only independent science that looked at

this matter said it didn't have a major effect on Bovine TB. We had a

one in six decline in Bovine TB in a period of many years if you

slaughtered the badgers. We oppose the method that the Government is

choosing. Free shooting, this is a high high risk method. Some badgers

won't be killed outright. They will bleed to death and they will suffer

as a result. Maybe this is where the ultimate

solution lies inside a science lab. Cattle vaccination is thought to be

the missing piece of the jigsaw in tackling Bovine TB. It could stop

both cows and badgers from dying. And at heart of vaccination

research, are the Government's own health laboratory. Developing a

vaccination against TB is complex and difficult and it is here that

that scientists are working towards solving the problem. They have been

trying everything they can think of to find a vaccine that's effective,

but they are still not there yet. At the moment we don't have a

vaccine that you can take off-the- shelf and inject into cows. The

only vaccine that we could even work with in the short-term is a

vaccine that's used in people. It is called BCG. What we know is it

will protect a certain number of animals against acquiring infection.

It will reduce the infection in a certain percentage of animals and

by doing so, we expect it to reduce the transmission of TB from one

animal to another. If there is something that works,

why don't our cows have it? The problem is vaccinating cattle is

banned under European law. That's because when you use the skin test

on farms, both vaccinated and infected animals appear to test

positive for TB. So we needed a new test. One that can tell the

difference between an infected cow and a vaccinated one. It is called

the diva test. We have a test that will be positive, if you have a TB

infection and will be negative if you are vaccinated with BCG.

Test needs to be tried on a working farm to prove it can be used for

real. That That trial is prevented by the European vaccination ban.

It is illegal to vaccinate cattle and in order to reassure Europe

that our tests are sensitive, we need to do field trials.

So what is happening to help lift the ban and move the process

forward? Back in October, we followed The

Queen guitarist and animal activist, Bryan May as he went in the -- with

the RSPA on a trip to Brussels. Bovine TB starts in cows. They

wanted to find what could be done to secure cattle vaccination in

Britain. Their meetings were difficult, but they felt progress

was made. I am amazed at how much support there is and hopefully we

can go back to England and tell everybody in Europe that they are

very open to the idea of us vaccinating our cows and perhaps we

can push it through quickly. Not even an issue as pressing as

this moves quickly in Europe. But while there is a block on

vaccinating cattle, we can vaccinate badgers, it is being done

in and Devon and Gloucestershire, results are promising. It doesn't

cure badgers with TB and it is not 100% effective, but it does reduce

the disease by almost 75%. So what is the Government waiting for? I

went to ask the Agriculture Minister himself. We have got to

take into account that we have an extremely serious disease affecting

cattle across the country. It is affecting the wild badger

population as well. We need to bear down on that disease and all the

evidence is that you cannot get rid of TB or even stop the spread of TB

in cattle unless you deal with the wildlife factor as well and that's

why we have got to deal with the badger population.

What's your view on cattle vaccination? If that is avapelable

to -- available to us that might be an easier way of administering a

vaccine to badgers, but let me stress again, it is part of the

solution. It is not the whole solution. Nothing is. On to cattle

vaccination. The BCG is in for licensing. The diva test is in for

licensing. Where do you see it? the moment, it is illegal. It is

illegal to test it without a special dispensation. That's why we

are going to the European Union Commission. We are talking to them.

We had a useful dialogue with the relevant commissioner. He has come

back with proposals as how we could take this forward in an effective

way. We are keen to do that. So that's the good news. The bad news

is there is a long time scale. He estimates that it will probably

take about ten years before we actually are able to use a vaccine

even if everything goes well before we can use a vaccine on cattle in

this country. So some answers and potentially

some progress. The Government here is saying that the EU has set out a

timeline for when cattle vaccination might be acceptable.

But even all the steps in this plan are met, we are talking several

years before it could happen. It is a frustrating situation.

Especially for the farmers left fighting the disease on the front-

line. We can't wait that long and the next generation can't wait that

long. The situation for us is more of a problem for us than seven or

eight years. We are not making progress. It is something we have

to tackle now. Coming up:

We are rebuilding Exmoor's historic Tarr Steps Bridge. It hasn't got

any parapets and it is uneven, but we love it to bits.

Now when you are a teenager life has its ups and down, imagine if

you are just three foot nine tall. Well, tonne we meet Danielle, a 14-

year-old girl from Somerset as she shares with us her very different

You can walk tall whatever your height when you are surrounded by

good friends. I have chondroplasia and that's the

most common form of dwarfism. I have a short stature and I am three

foot nine and I won't grow much taller.

Over the years, Danielle has not only learned how to deal with her

condition, but also other people's negative reaction to say it. There

is not much you can do. You have got to live with it and move on. If

you let it bring you down, you imagine people are saying stuff.

You can't let it take over you. You have got to just move on and accept

it and get over it. Danielle is concerned that she has

no friends with dwarfism in the West Country, something she intends

to change with a little help from Britain's most famous short actor.

Drum roll, please. Aside from her height, Danielle is

a fairly typical 14-year-old. She has a bearded dragon called bail

yeah lives -- Bailey and lives in Portishead with her mum. Why due

want to be -- why do you want to be in touch with other people with

dwarfism? It is sharing experiences. I have got a great group of friends,

it is just having them to... That too. This weekend, they are off to

the Midlands to meet up with Warwick Davis and other members of

the national organisation, Little People UK.

It is nice to see the older ladies as well with dwarfism.

Especially the ones with the same condition as me. Seeing how well

they have done. And what they do with their lives

and stuff. And their families and stuff.

Danielle is the only person in her family with dwarfism. This Is the

day you came home. That's my slipper next to you. You are longer

than my slipper. What was it like when you found out? Scary at first,

but yeah, it was OK. We decided that whatever was to happen and you

just deal with it. I remember being scared at school.

Were you scared? Because you were so tiny and everybody else was a

lot taller. We talked to the school and I said I didn't want any

intervention, I wanted you to find your own feet at school.

It taught me to do things by myself. I go to Gordano School in

Portishead. It took a lot to get used to the size difference between

myself and other people. I'm in my third year and I get on with it.

They have been very good. They have done steps so I can reach

everything. Chairs to make it easier in the science labs and they

gave me my own kitchen so I can take a GCSE.

We have a group of a few of us and I met them in the first year of

secondary school. They know what I can do and what I can't do and they

will never do anything if they know I will strug well it and they have

helped me a lot. They have boosted my confidence. Had a few -- I had a

few name calling, but mostly staring. You should get a T-shirt

with a sign saying, "What are you looking at? Go away."

I'm scared they might start taking photos. That might get awkward.

Has anyone been harsh to you and said stuff? What, in the street? On

my way to your house and these people were with their kids. They

shouted midget. That's the only thing I take

offence to is the word midget. Little person, dwarf, anything else

they would like to call me is fine, but not midget. I don't think

people realise how offensive that is. You can't let it take over you.

You have got to just move on. Accept it and get over it.

I have been doing kickboxing for about two years now. I love doing

it and it is something I never thought I would be able to do

because of my size. Did you think think twice about

letting her train? Of course not. There has been lots of fun and we

have gone strength to strength, really. It has been a roller

coaster as with all students that come in. Everyone finds challenges

at different things and with your recent gradings and the competition

you did, it shows how well you are doing.

Four punches. You have been a pleasure to teach and you have been

a role model for a lot of the newer students coming in.

Try and think of more compliments to give. I know you're lying.

Next week, it will be back to high kicks. I will I will walk in next

week and he will be shouting at me. Danielle and her mum are in Dudley

for a meeting of Little People UK, founded by Warwick Davis. Why was

the reason you first set-up Little People UK? Well, I co founded it

with a lot of other people. A lot of people who felt there was a need

for a group who really embrace being short, being little. I am

sure you found that, you know. It is about talking to somebody else

who shares your experiences and realising that you are not alone

and it really does help with your own confidence, doesn't it? It does.

I know none where I live at all, but now I have got you guys and it

is one of the best things I have done. How do you think I should go

about trying to fin people in my area? Well... What did you do?

Regionally, we are going to start dividing up Little People UK so

people can access resources and meet other people in their area,

but we are not at that stage. There are other people here today, that I

know are from your area. They might not be your age. You want to find

people of your age group because that's important for you. It will

be little People UK Dating Service. Danielle, not you! What? No, we

will find you someone else. Bye-bye. Five minutes later. "hello,

Danielle. Not you again.". What do you see me as seriously? Serious.

Serious. It is interesting isn't it, the last couple of years or so

there has been a lot more... A lot more little people in TV.

And with the Paralympics and Ellie Simmonds. This is great, the more

people are aware of people with dwarfism, the little of a novelty

it is when somebody sees somebody short in the street. Have you been

out and about and a bill child will see you and and -- a little child

and will see you and go, "Mummy Look. "the mummy or the dad will

smack the child. I would be happier if the child could smeabg -- speak

to me. And get them to look, there is nothing to be worried about. I

ain't going to come at you. Well, I worry about that. With your

kickboxing and all that stuff, you know!

With Warwick on side, Danielle is now a step closer to to meeting

little people in her area. Hopefully when I go home, I can

meet some people so I can have friends where I live with dwarfism

and share experiences. Last year was officially the

wettest on record in England and on Exmoor, the weather saved its worst

until last. Two days days before Christmas, the Tarr Steps Bridge

was almost washed away. Tonight, we have been following engineers

working to reconstruct this famous Tarr Steps filmed just days before

the flood. It is an ancient monument that maybe 1,000 years old

and it is the longest example of a stone clapper bridge anywhere in

the country. But all that counted for nothing on the night of 23rd

December's. -- 23rd December. After days of heavy rain, water

poured off the moors and into the river.

Fallen trees and debris were swept downstream with a huge force before

smashing into the ancient bridge.. When the floodwaters receded, the

extent of the damage was revealed. Two-thirds of the bridge had

disappeared. Slabs, some weighing over two tonnes had been washed, up

to 30 meters down river. Believe it or not, the bridge and the ford

beside are it are a classified highway so Somerset County Council

are responsible for its repair. Their man in charge of bridges is

trying to locate and identify the pieces of what is now auto giant

stone jiz -- now a giant stone stone jiz -- now a giant stone

jigsaw puzzle. Nef never seen numbers on -- we

have never seen numbers on the stones.

He relies on photographs and drawings compiled in the 1980s.

This records what the stone looks like. Their orientation and what it

ables us to do is identify to do is identify the stones. This is our

most politically incorrect bridge. It hasn't got any parapets and it

is uneven, but we love it to bits. Local Local legend has it that the

bridge was built by the devil and he has sunbathing rights on its

Kenny Higgins and his team have taken on the task of repairing the

devil's handiwork. First, they have to erect a dam. It will keep 90% of

the water away or the main flow out of our works site.

It helps protect any salmon spawn. Working on a fast flowing winner

river is a risky business. If it breaks away, we could lose

our dam. They have waited for most of the

day for the river to drop. By the time they start pumping water into

the darjs it is beginning to get -- into the dam, it is beginning to

get dark. But there is no turn back now. They struggle on in the cold

water long into the evening. Day two and their hard work has paid

off. The site is protected from the full force of the river so work can

finally begin on the bridge. Ensuring the stones go back in

their correct position requires measuring and checking and they

soon realise there is a problem. They have calculated that if they

carry on butting the top slabs together as the plan seems to

indicate, they will end up with a gap at the far end.

That could be embarrassing. We are going to make sure that we are

sorted on that. It means resetting all the stones they have laid this

morning. It is a nightmare. An air of mystery surround Tarr

Steps. Nobody knows who built it, how or why? However, there has been

much speculation about when it was built. I will tell you what it is

not, it is not pre-historic. It is late medieval or later than that.

We don't know and we are going to try and find out. My guess is 1500s

or later. It is It has been raining all day

and hypothermia is a danger. You are in water all day and you

don't get a a chance to warm up. The river is rising and they have

to wrestle the dam out before it is carried out away. It rains all

night too. Kenny returns to the site anxious to see if their hard

work has been lost. He finds the river still in flood, but the

partially repaired bridge has survived.

We got down here and were horrified the machine was underwater. It was

up to the bottom of the machine. While the team waits again for the

river to go down, a very special visitor arrives. Chris Cross was a

22-year-old Royal Engineer when he was sent to repair Tarr Steps in

195 2, the last time the bridge was damaged severely. Have a look and

see if you can see me on there? What time of year? Autumn. Isn't it

fantastic. You had some good weather.

We had good weather once we got started.

Did you ever see them numbered? The stones numbered? No, no, they

weren't painted. It is a privilege to meet you.

The fine weather that Chris enjoyed 60 years ago, seems to have

returned to the area, allowing a Will it fit? The final piece of the

jigsaw! Choose your distance.

Yeah. APPLAUSE

Spot on. Well done, Julian. Well done, chaps. A fantastic job.

Cheers boys, well done. The landlady of the pub overlooking

the bridge is on hand with champagne.

Cheers. Cheers. Thank you my darling.

Doesn't it look great? Yeah, it is good.

It was a hard, hard week. We have had trials and tribulations, but

look at it. It is a piece of ancient history. It is an ancient

monument and we have just rebuilt it. The last time this was kind of

rebuilt was 1952. This week, I got to meet one of the Royal Engineers

that did that. Things can't get better than that. It is fantastic.

Well, that's just about all we have got time for tonight. You can keep

in touch with what we are up to on Twitter or if you would rather e-

Next week, we are investigating a dramatic increase in fly-tipping in

parts of Somerset. Has the council's own policy led to rogue

traders dumping their rubbish in country country lanes? It hasuals