Badger Cull intensifies – Government aiming to kill 260,000 badgers by January 2024

Government still refuses to test badgers for bTB, yet the killing continues to accelerate.

The government finally published this year’s planned intensive badger cull ‘kill targets’ – despite culling starting again in August. The government’s stated aim is to ‘remove’ (kill) between 70% and 90% of badgers in each cull area and across most of the South West of England. In 'low-risk’ areas, there is no upper limit.

As Badger Trust feared, this year's licence data reveal that up to 53,234 badgers could be killed this year, meaning the total death toll for badgers in England is expected to surpass 260,000 since culling began in 2013. This unscientific onslaught is now pushing badgers to the brink of extinction in long-established cull areas, despite the fact that badgers are not tested to establish whether they have bTB or are a risk to cattle. All cattle slaughtered are proven to have bTB; with badgers, no tests are undertaken.

Cattle 800 times more likely to pass bTB to badgers than badgers to cattle

However, the problem isn’t badgers – it’s cattle biosecurity. For example, a recent government study in Northern Ireland showed that cattle were 800 times more likely to pass bTB to badgers than badgers were to cattle.

Bovine TB is primarily a respiratory infection, and whilst some level of infection can remain in the environment, its main route of transmission is direct contact with an infected individual.

Cattle-to-cattle transmission has been recognised overwhelmingly as the primary driver of bTB outbreaks in cattle herds. Even the government’s own data show that bTB is mainly spread from cattle to cattle. And independent scientific studies of government data in cull and non-cull zones show there is no difference in bTB reduction between the two, which is why cattle biosecurity is vital in fighting this disease.

Government proposes ‘extreme badger culling’ consultation

Yet the government still plans to consult on even more extreme culling. Despite a pledge to end badger culling in 2025, the government is expected to consult on ‘Epidemiological Culling’, where shooters will kill 100% of badgers in an area, based on (as yet unspecified) “epidemiological evidence”. Again, instead of focusing on more effective cattle-based measures, badgers remain the scapegoats for a poorly controlled cattle-spread disease.

Peter Hambly, Executive Director of Badger Trust, commented:

“The local extinction of badgers is happening right here, right now. 260,000 badgers represent over half of Britain’s badger population – there has never been an assault on nature like this over a decade in our history.

"The government won’t even test the culled badgers – they know most wouldn’t even have bTB. Every cow slaughtered has the disease, but with badgers, it’s so different."

"Even worse, as the latest study shows, any that do have bTB are 800 times more likely to have caught it from cattle. The same study found that transmission rates from badger to cattle is negligible. The best way to deal with bTB is through cattle-based measures – enhanced biosecurity, such as restricting cattle movements and effective cattle testing and vaccination.”

England remains the only country in Great Britain to cull badgers, with Scotland being largely bTB-free by restricting cattle movements into the country and Wales reducing bTB without resorting to badger culling. Both Scotland and Wales have healthy badger populations.

53,234 badgers on government kill targets for 2023

In total, the government figures reveal that up to 53,234 badgers could be killed this year.

Table 1. 2023 cull licences with minimum and maximum kill targets per zone

With 210,555 badgers culled up to the end of 2022, the total death toll since the present culling began in 2013 could now exceed 260,000 badgers – even though badgers are a protected native species. It is clear that the government is increasing badger persecution rather than phasing it out as they promised.

These statistics come at a pivotal time in the culling operation, in what is meant to be the last period that intensive culling licences are to be conducted. Whilst the government previously promised a phase-out of badger culling, these kill targets reveal a vastly different picture, with the planned epi-culling consultation proposing 100% badger culling in some areas.

While the government refuses to admit badger culling is unnecessary to reduce bTB in England, badgers – who have lived on the British Isles for over 250,000 years – are being wiped out from their native English landscape. Their absence will be the legacy of this failed disease control strategy.

Further information:

The badger cull year has two licence issue points:

• in May, 'supplementary’ licences are issued to continue killing badgers at a lower rate in areas where an ‘intensive’ licence has already been in place for at least four years;

• in August, ‘intensive’ licences are issued for new areas to undertake mass killing of badgers, and are valid for up to four years from the point of issue. Intensive culling is due to end in all areas by January 2025.

Defra’s Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2023 (advice published 07/09/23)