Recently published cull numbers show that in Derbyshire 1,432 badgers were killed last year, some of which may have already been vaccinated against the disease by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Badger vaccination team.
Dave Savage who leads the Trust’s vaccination work said:
“What isn’t much publicised by DEFRA is the method of killing employed by cull licence holders. In Derbyshire 1,284 of badgers culled were killed by so called ‘controlled shooting’ which involves animals being shot while free running rather than the more humane caged and trapped method. According to the figures released last week [2], this equates nationally to 9 out of 10 badgers killed with this method.”
Controlled shooting was debated in parliament only a few weeks ago (21st March 2022) following a petition by Wild Justice. During the debate, Daniel Zeichner MP Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs highlighted the great work being delivered by the Trust’s badger vaccination scheme. Although no policy changes were made following the debate, it forced the Government to respond directly and repeatedly to critiques from pro and anti-cull MPs alike, and it helped keep the plight of these important animals at the forefront of the welfare agenda.
This follows research published on the 18th March 2022 in the leading journal Veterinary Record [3], which concluded there was no detectable link between the culling of badgers and any decline in the level of bovine TB in cattle herds. The comprehensive statistical analysis of government data on the cull led by Born Free Foundation used wide-ranging methods to compare the incidence and prevalence of bovine TB in the culled and un-culled areas within the High-Risk Area between 2013 and 2019.
Dave continues:
“This is even more evidence that this senseless slaughter of Badgers should immediately stop, and all cull licences must be withdrawn. The halt in the spread of the disease should continue through the great work being done to improve herd management and controlled movement, accelerating the introduction of an effective cattle vaccine and improved bTB testing in cattle.
You can read the full cull figures, including a breakdown of numbers by county at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-summary-of-badger-control-monitoring-during-2021/summary-of-2021-badger-control-operations [2]
