NFU: Cull estimates are ‘significant exaggeration’

Fears that a badger cull in England could wipe out whole populations of badgers have been dismissed by the NFU.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Labour Party laid bare Natural England’s initial concerns that local extinctions of badgers in some areas “cannot be ruled out”.

In correspondence during 2010, officials from the government’s statutory wildlife advice group told ministers there was a “significant risk” that the culls would break the Bern Convention, the European wildlife treaty which protects wildlife.

In its advice, Natural England, which will issue culling licences to groups of farmers, had estimated the number of badgers that would be shot over the four-year culling period was between 90,000 and 130,000. This included wiping out 79% of badgers in TB hotspots in the West and south-west England.

But the NFU said figures suggesting a maximum of 130,000 badgers would be killed over the four-year badger culling period were a “significant exaggeration”.

An NFU spokesman said: “We estimate about 60,000 over an eight-year period, and that is only if 40 licences are issued. To put that into context, 50,000 badgers are estimated to be killed on the road each year, or 400,000 over the same period.”

He added: “The application would only allow access to about 70% of the total area, so there is always about 30% of the area where badgers will not be culled.

“Therefore, there is never going to be local disappearance.”

A spokesman for Natural England said: “Since our original advice was offered in 2010, the majority of our substantive concerns have been addressed.

“We welcome the government’s decision to pilot various of the control methodologies and have them assessed by an expert scientific panel before proceeding to roll out the policy more widely.”

Two pilot culls are to be introduced in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset this year. Natural England will issue licences to groups of farmers under the policy, which, if successful, could be introduced to a maximum of 40 areas across the UK from 2013.

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