Results published after the second year of trial badger cull

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has called for the cull to be implemented next year in areas which have been badly affected by bovine TB, such as Dorset.

The results of the second year of a four-year trial cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire have now been published and the Chief Vet advised that the Somerset results show that the approach can be carried out successfully.

But Dr Simon Cripps chief executive of Dorset Wildlife Trust, said rolling out the cull would be ‘flying in the face of scientific evidence’.

He said: “The cull has been shown to be an abject failure. The trials failed because they did not kill the number of badgers required, they were not considered to be sufficiently humane and it cost around £3,000 per badger.”

Dr Cripps argued that a cull can actually worsen the incidence of TB by ‘stirring up’ the population – killing healthy animals and allowing infected ones to move into their territory.

A vaccine and increased farm biosecurity would be more effective in fighting the disease, he added.

NFU president Meurig Raymond said: “We’ve been told by farmers in the Somerset cull zone that there has been a huge reduction in the number of herds under TB restriction since culling started in 2013, from 34 per cent to 11 per cent.

“We will wait for the scientific evidence to come in future years but, until that happens, for farmers in the area this is evidence that culling badgers is working and is helping them tackle this disease. There have also been reports of herds in the Gloucestershire cull area that had been down with bovine TB long-term that have gone clear since culling started.

“There are many other areas where bovine TB is rife and is having a massive impact on farming family businesses which would benefit from the roll out of culling badgers.

“Following the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice that badger culling can work, we need the policy to be implemented in other areas next year.”