Badger cull to be extended to Dorset this year

The badger cull will be rolled out in Dorset this year as part of efforts to eradicate bovine TB, the government has confirmed.

An application to cull badgers in Dorset, submitted by the NFU on behalf of farmers in the county, has been approved by Natural England.

Marksmen will now carry out targeted culls of badgers in Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset within weeks.

See also: Badger cull rollout could begin this autumn

The NFU welcomed Defra’s decision to extend the culls to Dorset, saying it gives the country the best chance of eradicating this “devastating disease”.

But NFU president Meurig Raymond said he was “disappointed” that the government had decided against extending the culls to other areas where TB is rife, including large parts of the Midlands and other areas of the South West.

“Badger culling is an essential part of the government’s 25-year strategy in areas where bovine TB is rife,” said Mr Raymond.

“While we are pleased that culling has been extended beyond Somerset and Gloucestershire we are very disappointed that more areas will not benefit from it this year. This is much slower progress than we wanted to see.”

Mr Raymond urged the government to give a clear commitment it was serious about tackling TB by rolling the culls out to other areas next year where the disease is endemic. “We will continue to press for that as a matter of urgency,” he said.

However, anti-cull campaigners have blasted the decision.

Toni Shephard, head of policy and research at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It’s also a death knell for common sense, as all the current evidence heavily suggests that bovine TB is predominantly spread between cattle, not from badgers to cattle.

“This is a stubborn policy which will not help farmers, will cause unrest yet again in rural areas and will waste huge amounts of public money, for absolutely no good reason.”

Earlier this week, rock star Brian May said his Save Me Trust charity would challenge the lawfulness of the culls if they go ahead for a third year.

Meanwhile, Defra has announced a raft of further measures aimed at tackling TB in England.

New proposals include:

• A consultation on introducing compulsory testing for all cattle entering low-risk areas, such as the north and east of England, to reduce the risk of new TB cases in these regions
• A consultation on changes to the criteria for future badger control licences such as reducing the minimum area for a licence – an approach based on the latest scientific evidence and supported by the chief vet 
• A call for views on controlling TB in non-bovine animals such as pigs, goats, and deer.

Farm minister George Eustice said: “England has the highest incidence of TB in Europe and that is why we are taking strong action to deliver our 25-year strategy to eradicate the disease and protect the future of our dairy and beef industries.


“This includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, vaccinating badgers in the buffer zone around high-risk areas, and culling badgers where the disease is rife.


“Our approach of dealing with the disease in cattle and wildlife has worked overseas and is supported by leading vets.”

More than 32,800 cattle were slaughtered because of bovine TB in the UK past year and more than 4,700 herds that had been clear of it were affected by it.