Defra has quietly published information on new areas where badger culling is taking place in 2022.
There are eleven new areas for this year, including a further culling zone in Devon and the first culls in counties such as Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. In total culling is taking place in 69 places.
Information published alongside the new licences states that, to achieve the 70% reduction in badger population that Defra wants to see in cull areas, up to nearly 68,000 badgers could be shot this year.
The details of exactly where in Devon the killing of badgers is taking place has not been made publicly by Defra. New culling zones have also been announced in neighbouring Cornwall (two new zones) and Somerset
The badger cull licences that have just been published on the Defra website are all dated 26 August – this means that they may have been culling badgers for two months already in an attempt to be seen to control bovine TB in cattle. Yet experts say this approach is not effective.
Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts says:
“The Wildlife Trusts are horrified that 11 new areas have been approved for badger culling in 2022. As many as nearly 68,000 badgers could be killed across the 69 locations where culling will take place.
“We believe an evidence-based and scientifically reliable approach must be developed to counteract the risk posed to cattle by bTB. Culling badgers is not the answer. Badgers are not the primary cause of the spread of bTB in cattle – the primary route of infection is from cattle-to-cattle. There is work being done to accelerate the introduction of an effective cattle vaccine and improved bTB testing in cattle – these offer the best long-term way to reduce bTB in the cattle population.”
The Wildlife Trusts believe that strong regulations and restrictions on cattle movements, as well as the development of cattle vaccine, are the best approach for the farming industry and wildlife. It is vital that the Government ends the cull, accelerates the roll out of a cattle vaccine and implements livestock movement restrictions as soon as possible.
You can find out more on our position on badger culling here.