Welsh badger cull given the go-ahead

Welsh Assembly rural affairs Minister, Elin Jones, said the approach was being taken in the light of evidence assessing the potential consequeces of a cull and that she was satisfied it was compatible with relevant environmental legislation.

The likely start date will be after the closed badger breeding period which runs from January until mid April.

The pilot will take place in a bovine TB endemic area where 42 per cent of cattle owners have had at least one case of TB in their herd since 2003 and will be located mainly in north Pembrokeshire, but will also include small areas of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

Work towards the establishment of the area will continue despite the Badger Trust instigated judicial review which the Assembly says it will ‘vigorously’ oppose.

“Bovine TB is out of control and unsustainable and last year cost the taxpayer nearly £24 million in compensating farmers. This is a dramatic rise since 2000 when the compensation bill was just over £1million,” said the Minister.

“In 1997 around 700 cattle were culled because of bovine TB. This increased to 12,000 by 2008.

“We know that cattle and badgers are the main sources of the disease and that, if we want to achieve our aim of eradicating bovine TB, we have to tackle the disease in both species.

“The approach we will be taking in the pilot area, carrying out a badger cull alongside strict cattle controls, has not been tried before in the UK. However, it is proving successful in countries like New Zealand, where wild possums and cattle are the main sources of infection.”

In all, five culls will take place over a limited period each year within the pilot area, which measures approximately 288 square km. Culling will be carried out alongside strict cattle control measures.

A thorough evaluation of progress, including a post mortem examination of culled badgers, as well as detailed investigation of each cattle TB incident, will be undertaken within the pilot area.

Evaluation will also include assessing the impact of cattle movement measures and the social impact on farming families, and any ecological impact within the area.

Badgers will be culled by trapping and shooting and estimates expect the number put down will be around 1,500.

The Minister said that of nearly 1,500 landowners within the pilot area only seven had refused an official visit and just over 20 had expressed opposition to a cull.

Results from the pilot will be fully assessed before any decision is taken to extend the cull area to other parts of Wales where TB is a problem.

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