Brian May celebrates his birthday with Andrea Bocelli Queen guitarist Sir Brian May said new research shows cattle could be passing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) between themselves, and that badgers are not a significant factor in the spread of the disease. The star has come under fire from some for presenting the research in a new BBC documentary . He says his campaigning against badger culling to tackle bTB "has become as important to me as music.
" However countryside campaigners warned BBC boss Tim Davie that commissioning the film by Sir Brian, a fierce critic of badger culling who has campaigned against it for decades, is "fundamentally incompatible" with BBC impartiality rules. Tens of thousands of badgers have been killed in England since 2013 in a bid to stop them spreading TB to cattle and to eradicate the disease in the UK by 2038. The culling is hugely controversial: wildlife campaigners claim it is ineffective and 'inhumane' but many farmers believe reducing the number of badgers is critical to stop their livelihoods being destroyed.
Brian May defended his new documentary. (Image: Getty) On his Instagram , Brian typed: "Hardly surprising that the Countryside Alliance want to stop you seeing our documentary - the result of 12 years research into how the disease of bovine TB is actually transmitted. "The CA's remit, of course, is to try to ensure that blood sports continue, and they represent hunters and shooters.
"These are the very people who find employment killing b.