18/02/2011image expired

Following Defra’s reversal over the hugely unpopular forest sell-offs, Jim Paice has announced that a decision on culling badgers has been deferred until after local elections.

While Paice was expected to make a decision in February on whether plans for the highly controversial cull, intended to control bovine tuberculosis, would go ahead, the assessment has been put back until after local elections on 5 May to avoid a public backlash at the ballot box.

A source from Defra told the BBC that the department did not want to "mess up" again after abandoning plans to sell some public forests, for which Caroline Spelman apologised in Parliament yesterday (17 Feb).

As a cull would have to be carried out in late spring, after the breeding season, there has been speculation over whether this revelation means that culling would be postponed until spring next year even if it were approved.

Other issues that have factored into the decision to delay an announcement are practical issues over licensing to conduct a cull, which are integral to the chances of culling effectively reducing bovine TB.

While the NFU is keen to see a cull go ahead, critics of the plans have pointed to figures for 2010, which show that overall in the UK there was a reduction in the number of cattle slaughtered as confirmed TB carriers than the previous year; 25,924 compared with 29,243.

Jack Reedy, spokesperson for the Badger trust commented on the figures, saying, "If culling had been introduced two years ago, everyone would now be leaping to the conclusion that the reduction was down to culling and saying 'we told you so'. Plainly, what's happened does demonstrate that the disease can be controlled without the necessity of killing wildlife."