Press Release
Release date: 6 April 2023
Slaughter of Warwickshire’s badgers
SHOCKING figures newly released by DEFRA show that 3,525 badgers were slaughtered last year in Warwickshire by licensed bounty hunters working for the Government.
The badgers were shot at night as they foraged or were trapped and killed in baited cages. Angry local conservationists have described the cull as futile, cruel and lacking scientific credibility.
Dr Denise Taylor, chair of Warwickshire Badger Group, says: “Three years ago DEFRA claimed that the cull was phased out. Instead, it has been widened. In Warwickshire alone we have lost 6,374 badgers since the cull was rolled out in the county in 2020. Over the country as a whole a staggering total of 210,555 badgers –more than half of the estimated total badger population–have died bloody deaths since 2013.
“And for what? There is no reliable evidence that bovine TB has been reduced by slaughtering badgers. Independent scientific evidence points to the real causes of the spread of this highly infectious respiratory disease: constant cattle movements from one area to another; poor biosecurity (ie disease prevention) and, most significant of all, years of unreliable testing. Herds given the all-clear have in fact not been clear, and undetected infected cattle have remained in the herd spreading it to others.
“Cattle not badgers are the problem. Killing every badger in the country–and some areas already appear to be devoid of this fascinating, iconic animal — won’t solve the bovine TB problem which can have such a devastating impact on farmers’ livelihoods.
“Very few badgers in Warwickshire are infected. We know that from the result of the road casualty autopsy survey which we took part in at the Government’s request. They chose to ignore the findings, just as they have ignored repeated highly regarded independent scientific research which has dismissed badgers as playing a significant role in bTB spread. The cull is a disgrace. It must end. At a time when biodiversity in the UK is in crisis, we urge everyone who cares about wildlife, and badgers in particular, to complain to DEFRA and to their MPs and demand that this cruel futile farce is stopped.”
The Badger Trust in a highly critical statement of the cull pointed out that about 20 per cent of farms are responsible for 80 per cent of the huge number of cattle movements and said that large farms with over 1000 trade connections act as hubs for spreading the disease. It points out that Wales and Scotland have far fewer cases of bTB than England and neither country culls badgers.
Ends
Notes for Editor
For further information please contact Dr Denise Taylor at chair@warwickshirebadgergroup.co.uk or visit the website at www.warwickshirebadgergroup.co.uk
About Warwickshire Badger Group
Warwickshire Badger Group was founded over 30 years ago by a group of wildlife enthusiasts concerned about the increasing persecution of badgers in the county.
Today, the group has over 120 members in the region and twelve members on its committee. The group regularly holds Open Meetings, and its members, volunteers and supporters devote time to badger conservation and protection which includes surveying and monitoring setts throughout Warwickshire, campaigning against the badger cull, monitoring and recording road kills and rehabilitating and releasing injured badgers. As well as delivering educational talks and programmes about badgers and their ecology, the group also carries out badger vaccinations.
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Badger Cull Figures – 2020 to 2022
