Ms. Macdonald, the UK Environment Agency has asked you to euthanize your Alpaca Geronimo because it tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. Last Wednesday, the High Court of London upheld the death sentence. Are you OK?
so tired. Now I really don’t know what to do. Currently, many people on the farm in Gloucestershire support me and take care of other alpacas. This is like a never-ending marathon. They want me to kill Geronimo. People all over the world are shocked at how the court passed this puzzling death sentence.
How did this decision of the Supreme Court come about?
Four years ago, you first decided that Geronimo must be euthanized. I imported it from New Zealand and it tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. But shortly before that, he took a drug called tuberculin. It was tested by an antibody test. It’s like testing someone for antibodies after being vaccinated with the new crown vaccine. Of course, it is positive. For four years, we have been saying that the test is not working properly. The Minister of Environment never replied. Last week, the environmental authorities again asked us to put Geronimo to sleep. The deadline is 5pm on the last Friday. I did not do this. So far, nothing has happened.
What are your requirements for politics?
We came up with some options. The point is that Geronimo should undergo a blood test to really determine if he has the disease. But it will not be infected, otherwise it would have died long ago. The test procedure has been criticized by the Veterinary Society because the tuberculosis skin test on alpacas can lead to false positive results. The British Alpaca Association also sided with us and criticized the testing procedures. The EPA is still stubborn. They said Geronimo must have been infected in New Zealand.
What other test procedures do you require?
There is a new test that can measure tuberculosis in the blood. This is more accurate and the infection can be detected later.
What is Geronimo currently doing? There is a webcam available for viewing all over the world.
Yes, you can see him around the clock. Thousands of people do this every day. We have a petition and there are now 140,000 signatures. We also started crowdfunding for lawyers and raised more than £25,000. He did it according to the situation.
Why is Geronimo a symbol of unfair British agricultural policy?
I think it’s because we have had no alternative policies for decades, and people are tired of it. Agricultural policy is the victim of this austerity policy. If you encounter a problem with cattle, you will not receive any support during an epidemic. Many farmers went bankrupt as a result. There is no consistent strategy to control bovine tuberculosis. In suspected cases, it is best to kill hundreds of animals every day, even if they are not even sick. We have a lot of social injustice in the UK. The government’s record in fighting the new crown virus is underground. Many people have lost faith in politics and the country. People agree with Geronimo. People just hope that the little guy can win one day.
