Unpopular and cruel new badger cull targets cubs and risks localised badger population collapse
- Badger Trust Staff Team
- May 26, 2022
- 5 min read
Badger Trust urges the government to stop the cull and focus on effective cattle measures to control bovine TB as new cull season starts.
In the coming week, as much of the British public prepare for the Jubilee holiday, badger groups across the South West, Cheshire, Herefordshire and Staffordshire prepare for the horrors of badger culling season, which begins on 1 June in supplementary cull zones. Despite the government's claims that badger culling will be phased out, a further ten locations (the maximum allowed) have been designated as ‘supplementary cull zones’. Licences with target kill rates of up to 2,492 badgers per zone have been released by Natural England this week. Each of these ‘supplementary’ zones has already been intensively culled. The future of the badger is now seriously under threat, especially in areas of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
A badger cull in June is ethically unjustifiable and an animal welfare tragedy
The continuation of badger culling as a central part of Defra’s programme as an effective bTB reduction strategy is scientifically unjustified. The latest evidence, produced by Defra itself, failed to prove badger culling reduced bTB in cattle. In addition, the implementation of a badger cull in June is ethically unjustifiable and an animal welfare tragedy. At only four months old, this year's badger cubs are now beginning to explore away from the relative safety of the sett, and increased rates of nightly foraging could lead them directly into the cull gunmen’s sights.
It's not 'easy' to vaccinate badgers if there are none left
The Government claims it is making a genuine move towards badger vaccination, but this is in tandem with culling. Whilst it is easier to get a vaccination licence now, the emphasis is on volunteer-led groups, not cull organisations, and it remains entirely voluntary. Allowing vaccination where culling has already taken place in a sea of cull zones is not 'moving to vaccination'. It's not 'easy' to vaccinate badgers if there are none left.
Badger Trust has written to Lord Goldsmith, the Minister of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the ending of the supplementary culls. Central to the request is Defra’s failure to provide evidence for attributing badgers the significant role in bTB transmission, the ineffectiveness of culling as the lead method in a bTB disease prevention strategy, the continuing high costs of the bTB operation, and the cruelty of culling cubs at this time of year.
Peter Hambly, Executive Director of Badger Trust, said,
“The badger cull is unjustified on scientific, animal welfare and cost grounds.
That these supplementary culls will start when cubs are so young is sickening.
“Many of these cull zones have very few badgers left. We know how unpopular the badger cull is, and also that it is ineffective in dealing with bTB. At some point, the Minister and government must accept this. It is a national wildlife tragedy, and it’s time to switch to an effective bTB strategy that focuses on cattle and biosecurity. This will help farmers and the taxpayer and prevent the needless deaths of badgers and their cubs. ”
Cubs are at risk of being ruthlessly targeted as part of the government-sanctioned cull
For badger rescue workers and rehabilitators, early cub season has already been a busy time of year, when a peak of road traffic collisions with lactating sows leave cubs vulnerable to starvation. A recent freedom of information request by Badger Trust to the Department of Transport revealed not one small mammal wildlife road crossing sign has ever been approved. And so badgers continue to be the most frequently killed animal on British roads. Thus, badger group volunteers have been working tirelessly to save, rehabilitate, and will soon be looking to release this year’s orphaned cubs. With wild living cubs now reaching the age of weaning, badger groups are only too aware that these cubs are now at risk of being ruthlessly targeted as part of the government-sanctioned cull.
Speaking of this challenging time of year for badgers and badger groups, Zoe Egan, Badger Trust’s Badger Group Coordinator, said:
“For newly-weaned cubs to find themselves in the badger cull firing line is heartbreaking.
“Next year marks a grim milestone, a decade of culling in some counties. The threats to badgers are numerous. For the local Badger Trust Group Network, it’s a never-ending battle to protect these majestic yet unjustly maligned native animals. With no end to the badger cull in sight, I urge people to join our campaign to Can the Cull today. Your county’s badgers and their cubs are counting on you.” The news of yet more senseless killing of Britain’s most iconic native mammal only undermines Defra’s continual claims that badger culling will be phased out from 2022. For each new supplementary cull zone instated, the aim is to keep the population at 30% following the intensive culling at 70%.
Badger culling may be causing localised population collapse
The lack of scientific data on the health of badger populations nationally makes it even more difficult for conservationists to understand the impact of culling on badger population numbers. According to Defra’s figures, in 2020, they reduced the kill target (the number of badgers sought to be shot in each zone) part-way through culling in 34 of 38 intensive cull zones, indicating that not enough badgers were found in these areas. Therefore, it is shocking to see yet more supplementary cull areas instated when there are indications that culling may be causing local extinctions. Devon is a particularly problematic region of the new supplementary cull zones released this week, with almost 84% of the county area subject to badger culling. Yet without accurate population estimates, it is impossible to know how many badgers remain in these areas. Two of Devon’s supplementary zones already culled could not meet their minimum kill target last year.
Similarly, Cornwall (~83% of the county subjected to culling) and Gloucester (~51%) also missed minimum kill targets. Yet Defra has issued new supplementary licences for cull zones in these counties. For these regions, the chances of localised badger population collapse are a significant concern, especially when cubs are being killed, threatening the ability of the population to remain viable.
Further information
Table 1: Supplementary control areas authorised in 2022 (from Defra tables)
This table sets out the areas, the number of badgers to be killed (minimum and maximum numbers are stated as part of the licence conditions), and what year of supplementary culling the county area is in.
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