Badger cull expansion given go-ahead by officials – against advice of own science chief
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Badger cull snubs science chief advice as opponents mount legal challenge
- Natural England has authorised a new round of badger culling in nine areas starting immediately, with extensions to 10 areas from September, despite internal scientific advice against it.
- Natural England's science director, Dr Peter Brotherton, advised against further culling, stating there was "no justification" and recommending badger vaccination instead.
- The extensions to last year’s supplementary licenses come as the government faces a legal challenge from the Badger Trust and Wild Justice, who have won a judicial review of the culling policy.
- Critics, including the Badger Trust, argue that the cull is ineffective, decimates badger populations, and fails to address the primary source of bovine tuberculosis transmission, which they say is cattle to cattle.
- The culls could result in the shooting of 5,000 or more badgers, with approximately 240,000 badgers killed in the past 12 years, while critics advocate for badger vaccination and improved cattle testing as alternatives.