Back off badgers!
Latest News
News: Well done to our friends at the Badger Trust who successfully challenged the Westminster government's decision to cull badgers in England. The proposals will now be subject to a judicial review. We'll keep you posted on the outcome!
News: The Welsh Government has announced that it will undertake a vaccination of badgers in Wales as part of measures to control the spread of Bovine TB. The RSPCA applaud this decision. Read more here.
Don't Shoot!
Following years of contentious debate, the Westminster government confirmed that it will go ahead with a pilot badger cull in two areas of England in 2012. The locations of the pilot culls have been announced and culls are planned for the districts of West Somerset/Taunton Deane and in the Forest of Dean/Tewkesbury area.
The announcement comes despite scientific studies which have shown that culling would be of little help in reducing the disease, and could actually make things worse in some areas.
The proposals are part of a package of measures aimed at controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle. The RSPCA believes that vaccination, increased levels of testing and improved biosecurity are more effective ways of dealing with the problem in the long term and eradicating bovine TB in cattle for good.
Key facts
• The cull could see badger populations decline by more than 70% and in some areas none may survive
• Culling cannot be selective so many perfectly healthy badgers will be slaughtered as ‘collateral damage’
• 100,000 recorded objections to a badger cull in England
• After 10 years work the Independent Scientific Group concluded in 2007 that ‘badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain.’
• Subsequent monitoring of cull areas indicated a very modest drop in cattle TB levels averaging just 16% after nine and half years!
• Defra‘s own wildlife advisory body, Natural England, who have to implement the government proposals, have said that they have little confidence in them delivering the predicted benefits.
Take action!
Following the announcement from the Welsh Government of plans to undertake a widespread vaccination of badgers in Wales, please urge the government in Westminster to follow suit.
Please click the badger to take action!
More information
- Do you live in one of the two pilot areas in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire – Then we need you! Check out our local campaigning page for all the ways you can help using your (super) powers as a resident of the area.
- You can also show your support by sharing your badger pictures with us in our new Flickr group: Set Back for Badgers
- Read our Q&A on the badger cull here: Badger cull Q&A [PDF, 60kb]
What about Wales?
Find out about the situation in Wales.
