Intensive badger cull zone licences for 2022 mark a decade of death

Government ploughs ahead with intensive licences despite its own data showing culling doesn’t work.

This week, the government is expected to release yet more licences for intensive badger culling. However, tragically, reports from across England suggest the intensive cull has already started. These intensive cull licences are announced in the face of current scientific developments which have confirmed badger culling is ineffective at reducing bTB in cattle.

This year marks the tenth consecutive year of the controversial badger cull, the cornerstone of the government's failed bovine tuberculosis (bTB) control strategy. Wrongly vilified as possible vectors of bTB, badgers have undergone a vicious campaign of eradication since 2013, resulting in the needless death of more than 176,000 individuals. This is despite the fact that the overwhelming cause of bTB in cattle is cattle-to-cattle transmission and that the government’s bTB control focus needs to be on cattle-based measures.

The intensive cull is also due to take place in a period of extreme weather and drought, pushing badger populations to the edge of extinction in parts of the country. The government already struggles to meet its badger cull targets in these zones as there are already too few badgers left. As if this wasn’t enough, despite the government's previous claims to phase out badger culling from 2025, Defra has included a caveat stating that they retain the right to cull badgers beyond 2025, on the basis of as yet unexplained and unstated epidemiological evidence. Furthermore, where the government has proposed a move to vaccination of badgers instead of culling, only badgers in areas which have already been intensively culled for five years would be eligible for vaccination.

Speaking of continued culling beyond 2025, Executive Director of Badger Trust, Peter Hambly, explains:

“The government made great noise around the “fact'' that they were going to end the ineffective culling of badgers in 2025. Now Ministers are saying they will continue if certain conditions apply. This is outrageous – they are obsessed with culling badgers. The answer to solving bTB lies with cattle. It is a cattle-to-cattle problem that needs to be resolved through cattle-focused measures such as improved cattle testing and cattle vaccination, enhanced biosecurity and controlling cattle movements.

According to Defra’s 2019 Farming Practices Survey between 20% and 33% of farmers have stated that they would never implement them. Unless these measures are made mandatory and unless compensation is linked directly to compliance with them, bTB will continue to spread. Instead, they continue to slaughter the innocent badger year after year."

The badger cull is a wildlife tragedy that continues to bring shame on England with no end in sight.

Hambly added:

“The present drought and extreme weather conditions also mean that badger populations in intensively culled zones are under severe strain – further intensive culling could lead to local extinction events in many areas."

The badger cull is an avoidable wildlife catastrophe driven by relentless human interference – 250,000 years of an iconic native mammal brought to an end through flawed government policy.

Badger Culling Does Not Work

Recent independent research analysed bTB records published by Defra, the government department responsible for overseeing the badger cull. Researchers found no evidence that culling badgers has had any impact on reducing bTB in cattle. Whilst the study included the positive news that bTB was being effectively controlled through enhanced biosecurity measures for cattle herds, all results of the study were disputed by Defra officials. Yet, in a shocking turn of events, Defra’s official rebuttal of the research was later retracted as Defra’s own figures had been incorrectly calculated. Defra’s revised calculations revealed figures in apparent agreement with the findings of the independent research.

Badger Culling is an Animal Welfare Nightmare

Under cull licences issued by Natural England, badgers will either be cage trapped and then shot, or ‘controlled shooting’ will be allowed on free running badgers. Since the cull started in 2013, the number of badgers shot whilst free running has increased from around half to a record 87.7% – nearly 9 out of 10 badger victims.

Free shooting is inhumane and in 2015 the British Veterinary Association (BVA) called for its end due to significant animal welfare implications. Again, we see that the government has ignored the advice of expert knowledge to pursue its unethical campaign against Britain's last remaining large carnivore.

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 September ‘intensive’ licences are issued for new areas to undertake mass killing of badgers, and are valid for four years from point of issue.

• The new intensive licences issued will run from August 2022 until 31st January 2026.

Act NOW for badgers

The senseless badger cull is now in its 10th year

We are expecting to witness over 200,000 badger deaths by the end of 2022. These numbers look huge – and they are huge. We cannot let this happen. We need your help.

Badgers are near extinction in certain parts of intensive cull zones, especially in the South West.

Just imagine a precious mammal that has thrived for 250,000 years in this land, wiped out entirely from parts of the country.

How you can Act for Badgers

Find out how YOU can take action to #CanTheCull, read the facts about the badger cull, explore solutions to the problem of bovine TB and learn what we're doing.

*This article was amended on 01/03/2023. Badgers have been present in the UK for circa 250,000 years (changed from 500,000 years).