The UK badger cull to reduce bovine tuberculosis is one of the most contested wildlife management policies. Welfare assessment covers both badger welfare during culling and the disease control rationale.
Badger culling welfare concerns centre on wounding rates from free shooting - a badger that is hit but not killed experiences suffering that can be prolonged if it survives with injuries. Wounding rates of 4-14% across millions of badgers culled represent a significant welfare cost. The welfare justification for this cost rests on the disease control benefit - but the scientific evidence is contested, and the perturbation effect (increased disease in surrounding areas from disturbed badger social groups) undermines the welfare case by potentially making disease worse. Vaccination as an alternative avoids wounding welfare costs while potentially achieving comparable disease control.