Defra has announced that badger culls will be extended to five new areas this year, as two initial pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset enter their fourth year and culling resumes for the second year in Dorset.

Announcing Natural England’s granting of licenses to cull companies on Tuesday, Defra minister George Eustice claimed the government’s deeply controversial culling policy “Is delivering results, with more than half the country on track to be free of the disease by the end of this Parliament.”

He added, “The veterinary advice and the experience of other countries is clear—we will not be able to eradicate this disease unless we also tackle the reservoir of the disease in the badger population as well as cattle.”

However, the cull has come in for criticism over repeated changes in design since the pilots began in two areas, and ministers’ decision to do away with independent oversight after a panel of experts found the culls failed to meet Defra’s self-set standards in their first year.

Seven new badger control licenses have been granted for areas in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, including five new cull zones across three new counties. Defra said operations are “now underway” in these areas.

Last week, the BBC reported that culling would go ahead in five new areas, after details were leaked to reporters.

The NFU welcomed the extension on Tuesday, with President Meurig Raymond saying, “Bovine TB remains a huge threat to beef and dairy farmers in large parts of the country. More than 28,000 cattle were slaughtered in England last year because of it and nearly 4,000 herds that had previously been clear of the disease were affected by it.
 
“Farmers facing a daily battle against bTB in those areas that have been granted licences for badger control operations this year will welcome the news that finally action is being taken to tackle the reservoir of disease in wildlife in these areas. Today’s announcement means that badger control will now be taking place in ten per cent of the area where cattle are at the highest risk of contracting bTB.”
 
Raymond said, “We have always said that we must use every option available to tackle bTB, including cattle testing, cattle movement controls, improving biosecurity, and encouraging farmers to make informed decisions when buying cattle in from other areas.”
 
However, wildlife campaigners have slammed the culls as inhumane, ineffective and wildly expensive; each badger killed so far has cost the public purse almost £7,000 and none of them have been tested for the presence of bTB.

Claire Bass, of the Humane Society International, said Defra’s decision was “both shocking and sad,” adding that “England’s badgers are being needlessly killed as scapegoats, part of a ‘smoke and mirrors’ attempt to appease farmers and detract attention and resources away from an effective long-term solution to bovine TB.”

Bass said, “In Wales, where the government has rejected badger culling in favour of stricter controls over cattle testing, cattle movement and on-farm biosecurity, there has been a marked decrease in new herd incidents. This is a disease spread primarily from cattle to cattle so it’s only logical that the effort should be put into stopping spread of the disease on farms, between cows.

“So far, this cull is failing not only badgers, but farmers, cows, and tax-payers, all because the Government refuses to acknowledge that the writing's on the wall. We know that many millions of people in this country care about animals and we need them to speak up and demand an end to this senseless slaughter of Britain’s wildlife.”

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) - which represents the UK’s veterinary surgeons and formerly supported the cull - has also withdrawn its support for ‘controlled shooting’ of free running badgers because they consider the government’s preferred culling method to be inhumane.

Also commenting on the culls’ extension, former Defra advisor Professor Alastair MacMillan said, “Post-mortem reports have shown that a high proportion of badgers shot were hit outside the ‘target’ area of the body necessary to ensure a quick death.” Prof MacMillan expressed concern that “In the coming months and years, many more badgers will continue to be wounded in this way and will retreat to their setts to suffer and die painfully and slowly underground.

Prof MacMillan said, “The science is unambiguous and the evidence is clear - the culling of badgers is absolutely causing suffering, and it will make no meaningful difference to the spread of bTB in cattle in the UK.”

New bovine TB measures have also been announced to accompany the extension of culling. These include:

• A consultation on introducing further cattle measures including more sensitive tests for TB-affected herds in the High Risk Area, and increased surveillance testing for herds in the Edge Area.
• A call for views on a more risk-based approach to TB testing of cattle herds in the High Risk Area.
• New farm advice packs to help farmers affected by bovine TB to improve the effectiveness of biosecurity measures on their farm.
• An updated online tool mapping the location of bovine TB incidents over the last five years to allow farmers to make informed decisions when buying livestock.
• A consultation on introducing further measures for controlling TB in non-bovine animals.

Responding to the new consultations, NFU’s Meurig Raymond said, “We will consult with our members before submitting our response to the consultation launched today on introducing further cattle measures, including more severe skin tests for herds in the area at greatest risk from bTB and increased surveillance testing for all herds in the areas on the edge of the disease spread.
 
“The new farm advice packs will provide farmers with information to help them improve the effectiveness of the biosecurity measures they implement on their farms, and the updated online mapping tool will allow farmers to make better informed decisions when buying in livestock to minimise the risk of bringing bTB onto their farms.”

Licensing body Natural England has been contacted for comment.