Thank you for downloading more or less from the BBC. This is the version of the

programme first broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Here's Tim Halford.

Hello and welcome to a brand new series of more or less,

the programme which strikes fear into the heart of statistical vagabonds across the galaxy.

This week, our clumsy or uncaring staff in English hospitals

really killing thousands of patients. We'll ask how many people are being driven to flee their

home country by climate change, and always down with the cool kids we'll talk about this buzz phrase

big data. But first, badges. The lovable little rogues have alasped

been firmly implicated in playing some sort of role in infecting cows with tuberculosis,

which is expensive for farmers and not much fun for the cows either, who are put down if they get

TB. One possible approach is to kill a bunch of badges in the hope of reducing bovine TB,

harsh on the badges, but then they are much less delicious than cows. Queue strong feelings on

both sides of the debate. The anti-cull protestors are even able to count the queen guitarist Brian

May among their number. Now, Owen Patterson, who's the Secretary of State in charge of killing

badges, and who also runs DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,

has backed a colour of badges being carried out by farmers in Somerset in Gloucestershire.

But he reckoned without, Evan Davis of the today programme, who flawed him with this question.

Just out of interest, in the cost benefit, which I know you have done at DEFRA,

what price is put on the life of a badger? I'm not putting a price on a badger,

I'm probably the only person listening to this programme that had pet badges as a child.

Well, the minister seemed not quite to grasp what Evan was driving at. Many people

don't quite grasp what Evan was driving at, but one man who does is Chris Cook of the financial

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