1. Who is involved?

The Secretary of State has the power to issue licences through Natural England under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to enable farmers and landowners to reduce badger populations at their own expense for the purpose of controlling TB.  The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Caroline Spelman announced during Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on 14 December 2011 that controlled culling will be carried out as part of a science-led and carefully managed badger control policy.  Farmers will come together to form limited companies, which will apply to Natural England for a four year licence to cull badgers.  The NFU will assist those applying for licences and complete the badger control plan on behalf of farmer groups.  The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) will continue its responsibility for on-going control measures and private vets will continue to test cattle and in some cases play a role in educating farmers on bio-security improvements they can undertake.

2. Where will the culls take place?

Applications for licences can only come from areas which are within parish test intervals (PTI 1) - an area within which cattle are subjected to annual testing for TB.  In 2012, two pilot areas will be selected somewhere in the country.

3. How will the badgers be culled?

Two culling methods will be permitted, cage trapping followed by shooting and controlled shooting.  The two pilot areas will test the effectiveness and humaneness of controlled shooting of badgers at night over safe bait stations using a rifle.  Traps will be positioned around setts and along badger runs and baited with peanuts.  Once there is a good uptake of the bait, after about 8 to 10 days, the badgers will be trapped and dispatched humanely. 

4. How long will the pilot schemes last?

Culling of badgers in the pilot areas are due to begin this autumn.  Control would be carried out simultaneously over the entire area for a six week period.  The culling will be monitored by independent experts, engaged by Defra, who will then report to the Government.  The Government will then make recommendations over whether controlled shooting is an effective method of culling badgers.  If monitoring shows controlled shooting to be humane and effective, Defra intends to roll out the project nationally in 2013. 

5. What are the licence conditions?

Pilot areas must be a minimum of 150 sq km protected by suitable   boundaries and buffers. At least 70% of the total land area must be accessible for culling, with at least 90% accessible or within 200m of accessible land.  Farmers must comply with existing cattle measures and also ensure biosecurity best practice.  All badger carcases will be treated as category 1 waste and will be disposed of in line with Animal By-Products Regulation 1069/2009/EC.

6. Will there be a closed period?

Yes.  The intensive cull will be limited to six weeks in each pilot area (outside closed seasons) and the badger population should be reduced by at least 70%.  Culling will not be permitted during the following closed seasons:  1 December to 31 May for cage-trapping and shooting badgers, 1 February to 31 May for controlled shooting, 1 December to 30 April for cage- trapping and vaccination.

7. What are the projected Costs?

Defra has estimated that groups of farmers who form a company face a £1.4m bill for a 350 sq km area.  The costs include all aspects of carrying out a cull.  However, the NFU has estimated the figures to be much lower, between £74,000 and £112,000 for a similar sized area.  The NFU estimates are based on £20 -£30 per individual badger and includes the cost of carcass removal and disposal. 

8. What will the role of the farmer be?

Farmers will simply grant the company and the trained contractors access to their land for four years.  Farmers will also be required to pay the total costs to cover a four year cull, before the culling licence is granted.  If a farmer wants to cull badgers on their land, he/she would be treated the same as any other contractor and would have to hold an existing firearms certificate, complete the approved training course and demonstrate shooting competence before they would be authorised for a licence to control badgers.  Upon completion of the training course, the firearms certificate would be amended to include badgers.

9. What are the security issues?

Licensees are required to liaise with local police forces in areas where badger control operations are to be carried out and follow police advice on measures to protect public and operator safety.  It is possible that farmers and contractors could be targets for animal rights activists, although every effort will be made to ensure that the identity of those involved in the pilot areas will not be made public.

10. Vaccination Service?

Injectable vaccination could take place in combination with culling.  An injectable vaccine for badgers is available for use under veterinary prescription (called badger BCG).  However, there is no evidence to say that vaccination of badgers will reduce the levels of bovine TB in cattle as quickly as culling.  It will be used in areas where individuals do not want to cull and around the edge of the control area, as a buffer where suitable boundaries and  buffers don’t exist,  to mitigate against any negative effects of perturbation.  The government is making £250,000 available to encourage vaccination in and around the two pilot control areas.  For vaccination areas, there will be a period of pre-baiting followed by two consecutive nights of vaccination.  The aim is to trap and then vaccinate as many of the social group as possible.  A closed season for badger vaccination will exist from 1 December to 30 April.  This is on welfare grounds to prevent trapping of lactating females with un-weaned dependent cubs and to prevent exposure of badgers during adverse weather. (Source: Farmers Weekly Online January 2012)