UK authorities have permitted badger control operations to take place in England’s nature havens, according to new revelations. Freedom of Information requests involving Natural England, the Forestry Commission, and Forestry England, show that badger control activities, including culling in some instances, have been permitted in various nationally important nature areas since at least 2016.
Natural England released figures for further licensed culls this autumn, permitting up to 29,000 more badger killings. If this level of culling is achieved, the total death toll since rollout could exceed 260,000 badgers, over half of Britain’s estimated badger population.
Retired government scientist, Dr Chris Cheeseman, concludes:
The badger culls are a travesty instigated by a government that purports to be a guardian of our natural heritage… It is a purely political policy and has to stop.
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