Badger culling gets go ahead in 11 new areas of England

11 September 2017

Licences have been issued for badger culling in 11 new areas in Devon, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset and Cheshire.

Culling is part of the government's 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine TB, but opponents say there is no evidence it is effective.

A badger vaccination programme to stop the spread of TB is restarting.

The Badger Trust condemned the policy as "politically motivated' and an "insult to the nation's intelligence".

The new licences have been granted by Natural England.

It follows a decision to extend culling in areas of Gloucestershire and Somerset.

The government said it will launch a new advisory service for farmers in high risk areas this autumn advising them how to limit the spread of the disease.

Farming Minister George Eustice said: "Bovine TB not only has a devastating impact on our beef and dairy farms, but causes harm and distress to infected cattle.

"Vaccination is just one part of our comprehensive strategy, which also includes tighter cattle controls, improved biosecurity and badger control in areas where bTB is rife, to tackle the reservoir of disease in wildlife."

Continued