Government could turn England into a badger cull zone

Defra may extend badger cull zones to the whole of England, according to a letter published on the gov.uk website.

 

The letter sent from the environment secretary Michael Gove to the chair of the environment, food and rural affairs committee chair Neil Parish MP, said Defra was launching a review into its bovine Tuberculosis eradication strategy.

 

It also said there would be a consultation into extending “badger control” to the low risk area. The low risk area is the counties of England not yet covered by cull zones or edge areas.

 

The letter read: “Any decision on whether or not to implement badger control in the Low Risk Area will be taken following the consultation, once all the responses have been considered alongside relevant scientific evidence and veterinary advice.”

 

Gove bragged that targets for the reduction of bTB were being met in the first two cull zones.

 

If only these cull zones have met their targets, it could mean that less than 10 per cent of the more than 20 cull zones across England are having their expected impact on bTB.

 

Anti-cull activists doubt badger culls have much impact on the spread of the disease. Speaking to Footprint, Amanda Barrett of Somerset Against the Badger Cull said: “It’s like climate change - 99 per cent of independent scientists say climate change is a man-made phenomenon.

 

“With badgers it’s a cattle problem, but the right-wing people are more comfortable with culling so-called vermin.”

 

Speaking about badger cull targets, Jay Tiernan of Stop the Cull said: “If you look back on the first year in 2012 … the Government were looking at trying to kill a set target figure at around 10 badgers to be killed per square kilometer.

 

“In the first year they didn’t hit their target. They reduced their targets massively. They still didn’t hit those targets. They had extensions and they still didn’t hit those targets and we had it down to around three per square kilometer.”