Figures leaked from Defra on Friday have revealed the cost of the 2013 badger cull, suggesting each badger killed last year cost taxpayers upwards of £3,000. What's more, the Badger Trust claims the true cost is higher, as leaked figures do not include the bill for policing.

1,879 badgers were killed, at a cost of £6.3 million, according to information leaked to The Telegraph. However, with the added £3.5m cost of policing the cull, the Badger Trust has said the true cost per badger is actually £5,200.

Badger Trust spokesperson Dominic Dyer said the cost of policing was included in Defra's cost/benefit analysis conducted before culling began, but was absent form later costings. Dyer added, "If every badger killed last year cost the taxpayer £3,000 that would be a horrendous waste of money on a policy that leading scientists say won't work. But the reality is that every badger killed actually cost £5,200 - and that is simply beyond belief."

He continued, "The government claim they have to do something as bovine TB costs the country a lot of money, and they say that 'doing nothing is not an option'. But just over the border in Wales, they have looked at the problem, thoroughly tested their cattle so they really understand how many actually have the illness, and brought in more frequent testing and better movement controls. By doing that, they have brought down the number of cattle slaughtered for bTB by 48% in five years.

"Wales has a policy that is far from doing nothing, and is actually working. England has a policy that is inhumane, unscientific and is throwing money down the drain."

Defra claims many of the costs of the 2013 cull were 'one offs' which have not been repeated this year. A spokesperson said "The cost of the badger culls need to be seen in the context of the devastating scale of the threat bovine TB poses to our farming industry… £500million over the last decade."

However, shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle lamented that "The Tories are pressing ahead with ineffective and inhumane badger culls at huge cost to taxpayers."