Wildlife

Badger Culling Welfare Alternatives

Badger vaccination programmes offer a welfare-superior alternative to culling for bovine tuberculosis control in cattle.

Key Facts

England's badger cull has killed over 250,000 badgers since 2013
Efficacy of culling for bTB control remains contested among scientists
Badger BCG vaccination reduces new bTB infections in vaccinated animals
Vaccination requires licensed trained vaccinators and repeat annual visits
Government policy has shifted toward vaccination as the primary approach from 2025

Welfare Considerations

Badger culling causes significant animal suffering through the use of free shooting, which can result in prolonged injury without immediate death, and cage trapping causing stress before shooting. Vaccination programmes, while more labour-intensive, achieve bTB control without killing badgers and with minimal welfare impact on individual animals.

What You Can Do

Support badger vaccination programmes financially
Advocate for prioritising vaccination over culling in bTB policy
Report injured or sick badgers to wildlife rescue organisations
Support research into cattle bTB vaccination as a complementary strategy
Join organisations working on evidence-based bTB control policy