Figures published yesterday show that another 33,627 badgers were culled nationally, 1,939 of those here in Derbyshire.  

Dave Savage at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said, “We understand the hardship that bovine TB (bTB) causes in the farming community and the need to find the right mechanisms to control the disease. However, the badger cull 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. Regulations and restrictions on cattle movements as well as the development of cattle vaccine are the best approach for the farming industry and our wildlife.    

We welcome recent work being done to accelerate the introduction of an effective cattle vaccine and improved bTB testing in cattle, which offers the best long-term way to reduce bTB in the cattle population.”   

Vaccinating badgers against bTB has been an important part of a suite of measures helping to tackle the disease. The Badger Vaccination Programme at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust began in 2014 to demonstrate that badger vaccination was possible. The Trust continues to work closely with the Government to help train vaccinators across the country.   

Confirmation of the 2022 figures means that since the cull began over 210,000 badgers have been culled, up to half the estimated population. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust yet again call on the government to end the cull, accelerate the roll out of a cattle vaccine and implement livestock measures urgently.   

Want to find out more?

Natural England: Summary of 2022 badger control operations, published 5 April 2023  

Natural England: Summary of 2022 supplementary badger control operations, published 5 April 2023