Defra defends badger cull policy amid ‘sub-postmasters scandal’ jibe

Defra has insisted that badger culling will remain among the measures used to tackle bTB in England for “as long as necessary” despite renewed calls for a change of approach.

The department has rejected recommendations from a new Badger Trust report, which proposed the development of a single, Britain-wide, non-cull strategy against the disease.

But a leading academic critic of its policy has compared its lack of engagement with alternative views to the unfolding Post Office scandal.

Collaboration call

Although the report, published last week, maintained the trust’s anti-cull stance, it also called for greater collaboration to ensure farming and wildlife could co-exist sustainably.

The group argued that the disease control approach adopted in Wales and Scotland, where badgers are not culled, was achieving faster reductions in cases than in England.

But Defra said cutting short what it describes as the “phased evolution of badger control policy” would risk progress made since the cull programme began in 2013 being reversed.

‘Insidious disease’

The current programme of intensive and supplementary cull activity is currently expected to end in early 2026 and a spokesperson said: “We will continue to follow the science and culling will remain a part of our toolkit for tackling this insidious disease for as long as necessary.”

Defra has claimed that culling has contributed to a 56% reduction in incidence rates among cattle after four years of activity and said its analysis has now been submitted to an academic journal for peer review.

However, independent consultant biologist Tom Langton, who co-authored a 2022 paper arguing culling had had no effect on disease levels, said Defra was still refusing to engage with him on the issue.

Position

Mr Langton said the department was still unable to address that study’s central argument and accused it of adopting a position of “perpetual secrecy and lack of engagement that bears similarity to the sub-postmasters scandal”.

Although a consultation on future wildlife control measures was expected late last year, Defra has now said it is “continuing to develop” its plans and a decision to consult would be “subject to ministerial agreement”.

The department added that work was continuing “at pace” on the development of a new cattle vaccine, although no indications for when it might be ready for use have been given.