DEFRA announces Badger Cull Scrutiny Panel
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has announced the five other members of the expert panel to oversee the two proposed pilot badger culls in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset. The appointment of Professor Christopher Wathes of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) to lead the panel was announced previously.
The panel will be charged with oversight for the design and analysis of data collection with regards the safety, efficacy and humaneness of the proposed trials, which are due to commence later this year. DEFAR said that the experts appointed to the panel had been chosen for their extensive expertise in the fields of management of wild animal populations, wildlife population biology, badger ecology, veterinary pathology, expertise in animal welfare and marksmanship.
The panel are:
Professor Ranald Munro, who was previously Head of Pathology at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and previously served as President of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
Professor Neville Gregory, who is Professor of Animal Welfare Physicology at the Royal Veterinary College.
Professor Piran White, who is Deputy Head of Environment at York University.
Professor Timothy Roper, who serves on the Epidemiology and Wildlife Risks Programme Advisory Group (Sub-group of the TB Science Advisory Body).
Mr Peter Watson, Executive Director of the Deer Initiative.
Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.
