Gloucestershire badger cull runs into December
The pilot badger cull in west Gloucestershire is set to continue for a further eight weeks after it was revealed that only 708 badgers - 30 per cent of the estimated population - were killed during the initial culling period.
Under measures to help control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), the badger cull was tasked with removing 70 per cent of the population.
Following an application to Natural England requesting an extension of the culling period, it has been confirmed that a new licence has been granted, which will allow culling to continue in the area until December 18.
Natural England says guidance from the government's bTB control policy and advice from Defra's chief veterinary officer and chief scientific advisor, informed the decision. It has been concluded that failure to extend the cull would increase the risk of bTB spread due to perturbation of the badger population.
Under the new license, a minimum of 540 and a maximum of 940 badgers must be culled to produce disease benefits.
News of the extension follows a recent announcement that the cull in Somerset also failed to reach the target of 70 per cent, removing only 60 per cent of the population. As a result, the cull in this area has also been extended, with an additional three weeks granted.
Commenting after the cull's extension in Gloucestershire, a spokesperson for the RSPCA said the charity is "exasperated" by the news.
Head of external affairs at the RSPCA, David Bowles, said: "The cull in Gloucestershire has clearly failed and yet the Government seems intent on making things worse and worse.
“Hundreds of badgers are being killed in an attempt to control bovine TB in cattle, and yet the best scientific opinion says the way they are doing it is likely to be spreading the devastating disease instead."
