BORIS Johnson condemned Geronimo the alpaca to death today – as his spokesperson said there were NO plans to test him a final time.
Last night his tearful owner Helen, 50, vowed to take a bullet for him as she waits anxiously to see if Defra send in a team to put down her chocolate critter.
HOAR has highlighted Geronimo’s tragic fight as Helen fights for every hour of life she can give him.
A warrant came in to force yesterday which means medics can come onto her farm in South Gloucestershire to perform the lethal injection.
Click here to sign the petition to save Geronimo
The stud animal is due to be destroyed by Defra after twice testing positive for bovine TB – but she argued the tests are inaccurate.
Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said this lunchtime: “We need disease control measures to be applied consistently.
“That’s why we need to move ahead now, we have done these highly accurate tests, and there are no plans to change that.
“We know how distressing losing animals to TB is to farmers – our sympathies are with Ms Mcdonald and everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease.”
More than 70,000 Brits have signed a petition to save him.
Helen has accused the Environment Secretary of telling “total lies” in order to support the “killing of a healthy animal in front of the whole world”.
And she told Sky News earlier she’d be willing to risk arrest if the team come to the farm.
George Eustice said on Thursday that Geronimo was tested “using a highly specific and reliable test”.
Ministers are worried that testing him again would set a precedent and they would face fury from angry cattle owners who have had to put down their own animals over TB fears.
Responding to the statement, Ms Macdonald said: “It’s a total load of lies, the testing has never been validated.
“He’s still standing by such a ridiculous claim because they’ve made errors of judgment and they’ve been caught out.
“If he’s willing to kill a healthy animal in front of the whole world without testing him properly first, then it’s a sorry state of affairs.
“And it will be for the world to see. Because if he sends some poor person down here with a gun to shoot Geronimo then it will get filmed by the world’s media.”
Heartbreakingly Helen has been told she or her own vet must carry out the shocking deed or Environment Secretary Mr Eustice will send in an extermination team as soon as the weekend.
He claims he has huge sympathy but refuses to make a U-turn. Helen told HOAR: “I can’t stand by and let my animal be killed and I’m willing to stand in the way of any gunman who comes to destroy Geronimo.
“They’ve picked on the wrong woman. There is no way that I will put him to sleep.”
Vet Helen has been fighting the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for four years and is now drowning in £50,000 legal fees.
But she has vowed to do everything she can to keep Geronimo alive — no matter what the cost.
Helen said: “I will not ask my vet to and I certainly won’t do it. I feel persecuted because of the way we are being treated by Defra.
“If Geronimo did have TB he should have been dead by now. Alpacas with TB only last a few months, but it’s been more than four years since he allegedly tested positive.
“This has become a personal battle between Defra and myself and they are prepared to take me to the cleaners because they can’t bring themselves to admit they are in the wrong.”
An Opinium poll for HOAR found that 42 per cent thought the animal deserved to live. Only 16 per cent backed the decision to kill him. Of those who want him to survive, most demanded Boris Johnson step in.
Officials say it is impossible the two tests could be wrong and they are legally obliged to take the action to stop the disease spreading.
She said: “Every time a van goes past I’m worried it’s Defra come to carry out the warrant and that’s incredibly frightening.
“We believe we’ve proved that Geronimo is clear of TB from the time he was brought over from New Zealand until now.
“He’s had four skin tests prior to leaving and numerous other blood tests and there’s no evidence of bovine TB. But Defra will not accept these tests.
“They will not accept their initial test was flawed and have been standing by that result ever since. They have moved the goal posts as far as the tests go and now they just want to make an example of Geronimo and it’s just so unfair.
Geronimo’s plight was revealed by columnist Rod Liddle in Tuesday’s Sun.
