Natural England 'reassured on badger cull'
Natural England has responded to allegations that it has concerns about plans to cull badgers in England after advice it sent to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was recently released following a challenge made under the Freedom of Information Act by the Labour Party. The advice included estimates that 90,000 to 130,000 badgers could be culled in a full 40-area cull and fears that such a cull could breach the Bern Convention.
Commenting, a spokesperson stated that “Since our original advice was offered in 2010 the majority of our substantive concerns have been addressed,” and confirmed that “We will work closely with all parties to help ensure that the pilots are conducted successfully and we remain determined to ensure that the licensing regime that we operate plays a full role in supporting the objectives of the government’s bTB control policy.”
However, that some of the released documents had redactions that remain unavailable to the public has attracted controversy. Shadow DEFRA Secretary Mary Creagh has asked why the Government was 'still trying to cover up' the redacted sections, alleged that Ministers ‘ignored scientists’, and argued that “Ministers should listen to the scientists and can this cull which is bad for farmers, bad for taxpayers and bad for wildlife.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
