Wildlife

Badger Culling: Welfare, Science, and the TB Debate

Badger culling in England to control bovine tuberculosis has been widely criticised on both welfare and scientific grounds.

Key Facts

Over 200,000 badgers have been killed in England since the cull began in 2013
The Randomised Badger Culling Trial showed culling reduced cattle TB by 16% in core areas
Perturbation effect from culling can increase TB spread in surrounding areas
Badger vaccination offers an alternative with zero welfare cost to badgers
Cage trapping followed by shooting is used; free shooting has higher suffering risk

Welfare Considerations

Free shooting of badgers allows for wounded animals to escape into setts and die slowly. Even cage trapping causes significant stress. Badgers are highly social animals and cull disruption of sett groups causes social fragmentation. The scientific evidence for culling effectiveness is contested. Badger vaccination programmes have been shown to work and offer a welfare-positive alternative that eliminates lethal control suffering entirely.

What You Can Do

Support Badger Trust legal and advocacy challenges to the cull
Advocate for badger vaccination as the primary TB control tool
Engage with your MP on the scientific evidence against culling
Report any suspected illegal badger persecution to police wildlife crime officers
Support cattle vaccination research to reduce dependence on badger control