Badger Trust calls for Nature Minister to protect nature and stop the badger cull

Supplementary Cull figures released show almost 28,000 more badgers marked for slaughter, bringing the kill total to over 250,000. 

New figures seen today through Freedom of Information requests shared with Badger Trust show that nearly 28,000 badgers have been marked for slaughter in licences issued under the controversial supplementary cull that started on 1 June 2024. On 16 May 2024, Natural England reauthorised and granted 17 existing Supplementary badger control licences and nine new ones.

Adding this figure to the expected kill figures for this autumn’s planned intensive badger cull means that 2024 will reach the horrific tally of a quarter of a million badgers slaughtered since the badger cull began in 2013.

Badger Trust has written to the newly appointed Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh CBE MP to protect nature and stop this cull immediately.  Creagh is a Minister in Defra — the government department responsible for the cull.

Peter Hambly, Chief Executive of Badger Trust, said:

“A quarter of a million badgers killed for a mainly cattle-to-cattle spread disease — bovine tuberculosis — is the greatest assault on nature in Britain in our lifetimes.  Unlike Scotland and Wales, England focuses unfairly on the badger and carries out an unethical and ineffective cull.  

The new government admitted the cull is ineffective in its election manifesto,  so we are calling on the Minister for Nature to stop the slaughter that is happening right now.  This slaughter should not continue on her watch. 

Tens of thousands of badgers are being killed when Labour knows it doesn’t work.  This policy makes no sense, and this iconic and popular native species must be protected now.”

Local extinction events are happening right now in parts of England’s southwest as the hammering of the local badger population continues. This mass killing is a threat to the existence of these protected native animals in our local areas.

The badger cull not only threatens the survival of the badger population, it disrupts the delicate balance of our ecosystems, leading to devastating long-term consequences for badgers and nature.  

National Day of Action Against the Cull

Badger Trust has called a National Day of Action Against the Cull outside Parliament on Tuesday, 3 September.  If you can’t make it, we ask that you make an appointment to see your newly elected MP in your local area that week to show your opposition to the unpopular badger cull.

Further information

Supplementary control areas authorised in 2024 (Natural England figures)

Area number and county	Minimum number	Maximum number	Year of Operations
Area 4 - Cornwall	131	380	Year 5
Area 5 - Cornwall	152	461	Year 5
Area 6 - Devon	294	1173	Year 5
Area 7 - Devon	145	455	Year 5
Area 8 - Dorset	475	1685	Year 5
Area 9 - Glos	219	1118	Year 5
Area 33 - Avon	74	707	Year 2
Area 34 - Cheshire	117	1124	Year 2
Area 35 - Cornwall	263	1897	Year 2
Area 36 - Staffordshire	100	648	Year 2
Area 37 - Devon	193	985	Year 2
Area 38 - Devon	173	1316	Year 2
Area 39 - Dorset	51	484	Year 2
Area 40 - Herefordshire	281	1253	Year 2
Area 41 - Staffordshire	351	809	Year 2
Area 42 - Wiltshire	19	2550	Year 2
Area 43 - Wiltshire	64	1005	Year 2
Area 45 - Derbyshire	425	1675	Year 1
Area 46 - Glos	54	284	Year 1
Area 47 - Herefordshire	284	1236	Year 1
Area 48 - Leicestershire	82	432	Year 1
Area 49 - Oxfordshire	128	621	Year 1
Area 50 - Shropshire	256	2382	Year 1
Area 51 - Somerset	56	1746	Year 1
Area 52 - Warwickshire	200	1044	Year 1
Area 53 - Wiltshire	64	329	Year 1
Total	4651	27799

Please sign the petition to End the Cull now

The release of the supplementary cull target figures is a stark reminder of the urgency of the situation. We urge you to show your support for our call to End the Cull and Save Badgers. 

Your voice matters and you can make a significant difference in the fight to protect our wildlife. Please sign and share the petition today.

Sign the petition