Brian May to lead anti-badger culling demo in London
Brian May launched Team Badger's 'Stop the Cull' campaign in September 2012 ©Ray Tang/Rex Shutterstock Rock star Brian May will take to the streets of London to lead a protest against the badger cull.
The Queen guitarist, who has already threatened legal action over the cull, will lead a protest march from Defra’s headquarters in Smith Square on Tuesday (8 September).
The procession will start from Smith Square at noon and make its way to Old Palace Yard, Westminster, for 12.30pm.
See also: Farmer fury as Defra blocks badger cull in two counties
Team Badger, the coalition of animal welfare charities opposed to the government’s badger cull, is organising the protest.
The theme will be a “symbolic funeral parade” in protest against the 2,263 badgers which were killed in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2013-14 during the pilot culls, part of 25-year government plans to eradicate bovine TB in this country.
Speakers will include Queen guitarist and founder of The Save Me Trust, Dr Brian May, MP’s from across the parties Including Caroline Lucas MP, Angela Smith MP and Henry Smith MP, Will Travers, chairman of Born Free Foundation, TV’s Marc the vet, Hilary Jones and Lush’s ethics director and Peter Martin, chairman of the Badger Trust.
The event is scheduled to end at 1.30pm on Tuesday.
In 2013, Dr May failed to turn up for a protest planned against the badger cull on 1 May.
Defra confirmed on Friday (4 September) that marksmen had begun shooting badgers again in Somerset and Gloucestershire, and in a third county, Dorset.
Natural England has issued culling licences for the three counties from 28 August to run to November. The culls are expected to last six weeks.
An NFU spokesman said: “The decision on when to start operations will be made by the individual companies. We will not be commenting on, or confirming, start dates.”
Farm minister George Eustice has insisted that “strong action” is needed to eradicate bovine TB in this country – a disease which last year led to the slaughter of almost 33,000 cattle and cost taxpayers more than £100m in compensation payments to farmers.
“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,” Mr Eustice said.