The Wildlife Trusts respond to new badger cull licences

The Wildlife Trusts are disappointed and saddened that the Government has issued new licenses to cull badgers in seven areas of England. These cover 33 existing areas and 7 new areas for 2021. To take one example, badger culling in Derbyshire continues and enters its second year where up to 3218 badgers could die this autumn.

Up to 75,000 badgers could be killed across England this year – taking the total to around 200,000 shot badgers since the cull began.  The new licenses allow badgers to be shot and killed over the next four years in an attempt to control bTb in cattle.

There is still a lack of evidence that killing badgers reduces the spread of bovine TB in cattle and a report by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust last year suggested the evidence used is flawed and inaccurate.

Jo Smith, chief executive of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, says:

“The main cause of bovine TB is from cattle-to-cattle transmission. Badgers are not the main culprit yet thousands are killed every year. For years, The Wildlife Trusts have been at the forefront of vaccinating badgers. It is now time for Government to step up its commitment and implement a badger vaccination strategy alongside the deployment of a vaccination for cattle against the disease.”

Earlier this year, the Government committed to issuing no new intensive badger cull licences after 2022 and thousands of people have shared their concerns and called for a more immediate end to the cull.  The Wildlife Trusts are also concerned that the cull in England has inspired plans for a potential badger cull in Northern Ireland for the first time – a huge step backwards in the fight against this devastating cattle disease.

Jo Smith continues:

“We continue to call on the Government to end the killing of badgers to fight bovine TB in cattle and ask for robust measures that will see better cattle testing, roll out of a cattle vaccine and stricter movement control of cattle. Our protected wildlife, our farmers and the dairy industry deserve much better.”

Image: Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hill Photography

Editors notes:

• DEFRA: Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2021: www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-to-natural-england-on-setting-minimum-and-maximum-numbers-of-badgers-to-be-controlled-in-2021
• New licences could be revoked after two years of culling.
• Read Defra policy  Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2021
• Read Derbyshire Wildlife Trust report – E. Wright BVSc Cert VA Dip (AS) CABC MRCVS & S. Mayer BSc BVSc PhD MRCVS, 2020, Critical evaluation of the Animal and Plant Health Agency report: ‘Year End Descriptive Epidemiology Report: Bovine TB Epidemic in the England Edge Area