The number of signatures secured by online petitions opposing badger culls at trial sites in England currently stands at 65,000. The weight of public opposition to cull proposals has not subsided since Defra said it was "strongly minded" to carry out a cull with the aim of reducing bovine TB in badly affected areas in July. The petitions have been carried out ahead of the public consultation deadline on Tuesday (20th September). image expired

In addition to strong opposition to the proposals by the Badger Trust, who have promised legal action should culling be approved, the Labour party, which has set up a website and petition in opposition to Defra’s plans and the RSPCA, which has made a submission objecting to the plans to the consultation, Natural England has expressed reservations over the proposals.

Natural England, the government body which would be responsible for licensing culls, made several caveats in its submission to the consultation and stated that it has a "low level of confidence" that Defra’s plans will yield results. The comments sparked rage amongst the pro-cull lobby who, having initially pushed for a ‘science-led’ cull, cried foul over Natural England’s findings.

Furthermore, before the consultation, Lord Krebs, who conducted the randomised trials upon which Defra’s evidence is based, announced "I can’t understand how anybody who’s looked at the science would say this is a good idea."

Many of the objections to the proposals have focused on ‘free shooting,’ a method which is untested. The RSPCA submission stated that the untested method was sure to prove inhumane as the two lethal points are difficult to hit on a badger; whose heads are small, thick and bony hearts covered by their elbow joints.

Defra’s chief vet Nigel Gibbens yesterday answered questions posed by members of the 38 Degrees website, which launched a petition against the cull. Mr Gibens attempted to put forward the government’s case, saying he wanted to "correct some of the serious inaccuracies” he has seen written about the cull proposals. Follow up questions to Mr Gibbens’ answers will be posted on the 38 Degrees site along with his responses later today.