The RSPCA is renewing its call to the UK Government to end the badger cull immediately, as reports suggest the season is opening for a new round of culling in England - which could see thousands more badgers needlessly and inhumanely killed.

Traditionally, June sees the start of UK Government-endorsed badger culls in England, enabled by 'supplementary licences' granted to individual culling businesses.

As an ever-increasing body of evidence shows that the cull is ineffective in tackling bTB in cattle and causes substantial suffering to badgers, the RSPCA believes that culling needs to stop once and for all, and the focus should instead shift to tackling infection in cattle herds.

The charity is calling for stricter bio-security measures on farms, improved cattle testing, a reduction in high-risk cattle movements, a safe and effective bTB vaccination for cattle, and a vaccination against bTB for wildlife.

RSPCA Scientific and Policy Manager for Wildlife Management, Dr Kate Allberry, said: "The lethal control of badgers is not the answer to stamping out bTB as research shows the disease is primarily transmitted between cattle.

"A mounting body of evidence and opinion from independent experts shows the cull is ineffective and inhumane, and we firmly believe the focus should instead be on managing bTB in cattle herds.

"Issuing supplementary cull licences is ineffective and unnecessary and will result in thousands more badgers being needlessly killed in England this summer. We are renewing our appeal to the UK Government, alongside other scientific experts and NGOs, to end the badger cull now.

"bTB devastates farming communities, and the emotional and financial impact is severe. Badger culling has been used ineffectively in the fight against bTB since the 1970s. More than 230,000 badgers have been culled since 2013 alone, yet bTB remains one of the biggest threats to the agricultural industry and now, our badger population too. Clearly, we need a different approach."

In a letter to England's Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner in April, the RSPCA welcomed last year's UK Government announcement of a new strategy to address bTB, but encouraged them to wind down final cull operations planned for 2025. The RSPCA instead wants the UK Government to support farmers with a transition away from badger culling this year. But the charity added that the new strategy still places too much emphasis on badger management.

Kate added: "Science shows that managing bTB in badgers will do very little to eradicate the disease in cattle, though we support vaccination as a more humane and effective method of tackling the disease in wildlife. The narrative needs to shift to tackling infection in herds. Farmers are business people and they need to have confidence in the action being taken and advice they're given. The UK Government must invest more time and resources in building this confidence, rather than pushing ahead with more culls in 2025 and beyond.

"We also remain deeply concerned about the animal welfare implications of culling badgers, which was deemed as inhumane by independent experts way back in 2014. Instead, we support applying the seven ethical principles2 when managing wildlife - an approach endorsed by international experts and used successfully by other organisations such as the National Trust. These principles recognise concerns people have in human-wildlife conflict situations, seek to balance the needs of people and the welfare of wildlife, and promote the importance of protecting animals from unnecessary suffering."

The RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations believe that the main method used to cull badgers is cruel, inhumane and causes the animals to suffer. Free or 'controlled' shooting, where badgers are shot from a distance at night, means badgers can take a significant amount of time to die from bullet wounds, blood loss, and organ failure. An independent panel of experts (IEP)3 found that an unacceptable percentage of badgers shot during culling took more than five minutes to die, potentially experiencing prolonged pain and suffering.

More information on the RSPCA's work to protect badgers, cattle and other animals can be found on the charity's website.