Badger Welfare and Bovine TB Culling Policy in England

The badger cull in England targets badgers as a vector of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), with welfare concerns about shooting methods, wounding rates, and the ethical justification given contested scientific evidence about badger contribution to cattle infection.

Key Facts

England has conducted large-scale badger culling since 2013 to control bovine TB in cattle
Controlled shooting is the primary method, targeting badgers as they emerge from setts at night
Independent analysis by DEFRA found wounding rates of approximately 7% in early cull years
Badger vaccination is an alternative method approved for use but less widely deployed
EFRA committee reports have questioned the cost-effectiveness and welfare of culling programs

Welfare Considerations

Badgers that are wounded rather than killed outright by shooting experience acute pain and potential prolonged suffering before death. A 7% wounding rate applied to the hundreds of thousands of badgers killed since 2013 represents tens of thousands of animals suffering needlessly. Vaccination provides an alternative approach that achieves disease reduction without welfare harm to badgers. The contested scientific basis for culling makes the welfare cost particularly ethically challenging.

What You Can Do

Support Badger Trust and Wildlife Trusts campaigns for vaccination over culling
Donate to Badger Trust legal challenges to culling policy
Advocate for accelerated rollout of badger vaccination programs through your MP
Engage with EFRA committee consultations on bTB policy review
Support research into cattle-focused bTB control measures that reduce reliance on badger culling