Thousands of badgers will be killed this year as the Government’s badger cull is being extended to 11 new zones, including in parts of Oxfordshire.

The new zones began operating this year alongside 61 existing cull zones. 

The cull licences are aiming for 2,389 badgers to be killed with a minimum target of 1,309 in Oxfordshire, say campaigners. 

In 2021 1,254 badgers were culled in Oxfordshire - meaning this year's target is nearly double, they say.

The licensed culls will allow trained marksmen to remove between 23,652 and 67,801 badgers this autumn across all 72 zones.

This could bring the total number of badgers removed since licensed culling started in 2013 to more than 200,000.

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Peter Hambly, Executive Director Badger Trust, said: “The badger cull is out of control. The Government refuses to publish where licences cover or their 2022 badger kill targets. 

"We’re hearing reports of horrific examples of alleged licence breaches. The situation is shocking, and Natural England needs to do its duty and stop this mess on animal welfare and public safety grounds. 

"Tony Juniper, Natural England chair, needs to make an emergency statement on the badger cull situation, confirm where the licences cover and take immediate action on licence breaches." 

Defra says badgers are culled to lower TB rates in wildlife and, therefore, reduce the number of outbreaks of bovine TB in cattle herds.

But wildlife campaigners insist the government’s culling policy is expensive, inhumane, and ineffective.

Mr Hambly said: "This year for the first time, Defra and Natural England have not issued where new intensive cull licences cover or what the 2022 badger kill targets are for all licences, new and existing.

"However, on animal welfare and public safety grounds, they must issue this information."

Defra said planned publication of the licences authorising badger control operations for 2022 has been delayed.

However it will be published on Gov.uk "in due course”.

Defra has confirmed that 2022 will be the last year that new intensive culling licences will be issued to tackle tuberculosis in cattle. However, tens of thousands of badgers will be removed over the next four years until culling is halted in 2026.

Although Defra maintains its badger control policy has been successful, it says it “does not want to continue culling a protected species indefinitely”.

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Over the next few years, it aims to phase out badger culling and replace it with other aspects of its 25-year TB eradication programme, including improved testing and vaccination of both badgers and cattle.

Mr Hambly said: "Right now, across England, thousands of badgers are being shot, yet local residents and badger protectors are being kept entirely in the dark.

"Scapegoated, untested, disease-free badgers are paying the ultimate price for a failed government policy to end bovine TB.”  

 

 

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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