Badger Culls Approved

DEFRA has announced that culls of badgers will take place in three areas this autumn in an effort to control bovine TB.  As well as the previous locations in west Somerset and west Gloucestershire, a further area in north Dorset has been added.  Groups in Devon and Herefordshire also applied to run culls, but the applications were rejected by Natural England.

At the same time as the announcement of the culls, DEFRA also proposed changes in other areas of TB control.  There will be consultations on;

• introducing compulsory testing of all cattle entering low-risk areas
• changes to the criteria for future badger control licences (including reducing the minimum area for a cull)
• controlling TB in non-bovine species

More information can be found at – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-proposals-to-protect-livestock-from-bovine-tb