UK’s bTB badger cull ends early, as targets are missed

It had been the government’s intention to remove 70% of the population in the Gloucestershire cull area, but by the time the cull ended in early October, only 30% were removed. As a result, the cull was extended for a further eight weeks, with a cull target of 58%.

On 30 November, however, the cull extension came to an end three weeks early at the request of the company contracted to carry out the cull, as the it could not meet its targets.

Paterson revealed in a statement yesterday that 213 badgers had been culled in the extension of the pilot, bringing the total of badgers culled in Gloucestershire pilot area to 921. Speaking to the House of Commons yesterday, Paterson said: “Today I am announcing that the extension period in Gloucestershire concluded on Saturday, 30 November, at the behest of the cull company and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), with the agreement of Natural England, to coincide with the end of the open season for cage trapping,”​ Paterson said.

Greater impact on bTB​

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) boss then added that the extension was put in place to achieve a greater impact on bTB in the area and said the decision to extend was apt and met the aim of “preparing the ground for a fully effective four-year cull”.​

NFU president Peter Kendall said his organisation was fully supportive of the move to stop the cull in Gloucestershire. He added that the culls were there to demonstrate that removing badgers to help combat bTB could be done humanely, safely and effectively.  

Defra Farming Minister George Eustice added: “The extension to the cull has been worthwhile and has removed a significant number of badgers, which will make a difference to disease control in the area. Now that the cull company is seeing fewer badgers on the ground, I agree with the decision to stop the pilot cull for this year and I pay tribute to all those who, in the face of provocation, have worked so hard.”​

Welfare groups’ response​

Meanwhile, animal welfare groups were pleased at the decision to stop the cull, but were pessimistic that it could pave the way for an England-wide badger cull next year. Dominic Dyer, policy advisor for Care for the Wild, an organisation against the culls, said that, for the moment, protests could be turned into celebrations.

“We must take a moment to celebrate the utter failure of a badly planned, poorly executed, inhumane cull,”​ he said. “There would be some joy in saying ‘we told you so’ to the government, but hundreds of badgers have already been killed for absolutely no discernible reason.”​

RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles said: “At last the government has acknowledged that the culls have failed – they have failed to reach their target numbers and failed to do it in the allocated time. We just cannot understand why it took so long for this realisation to hit.”​

A final report on the cull is expected in the New Year.