Three wildlife groups opposing Defra's badger cull have today appealed to the Bern Convention, to which the UK has been a signatory since 1982, claiming that the government’s controversial policy risks breaching the international agreement.

The Humane Society International, Care for the Wild, and the Badger Trust (which has also filed a High Court legal challenge) have taken their appeal to the EU convention on wildlife; they claim that UK officials have failed to conduct sufficient risk assessments on the possible impacts of badger culling on the wider ecosystem, and that continued culling this year therefore presents an unacceptable threat.

Last year's 'pilot culls' were judged to have failed on the grounds of effectiveness and humaneness by the Independent Expert Panel appointed by Defra. Although department officials have acknowledged there are "lessons to be learned" from the IEP's report, ministers have confirmed that there will be no independent oversight if culling goes ahead this year.  

Badgers are a protected species under the convention, but so too are a variety of other species including ground-nesting and song birds and small mammals, which the charities believe could be affected by culling. In a statement on Thursday, the groups said "The removal of badgers [could have] subsequent knock on effects within the ecosystem, and is in any event unnecessary since bovine TB can be controlled in cattle without resorting to badger culls."

The charities claim that removing badgers could lead to unforeseen consequences, including significant changes in the density of other predators, such as foxes, which in turn can threaten other protected species such as ground nesting birds. A 2011 report by the Food and Environment Research Agency found that the impacts on many species and habitats was uncertain and would require careful consideration before any badger culling licenses should be issued.

Mark Jones, veterinarian and executive director for Humane Society International UK, commented "Thus far the government has shown a blatant disregard for the supposedly protected status of badgers under UK law, or the near unanimous opposition to a badger cull by some of our most eminent scientists. So now we are taking our challenge to the Bern Convention, with yet more evidence to illustrate how badger culling is not only ineffective, inhumane and unnecessary, but also potentially very bad news for the wider ecosystem.

"The cull zones and surrounding areas are home to many protected endangered species of birds and mammals, and habitats such as heathlands, grasslands, meadows and forests. Removing or displacing large numbers of badgers from nature's delicate balance could be catastrophic for some of these species and habitats, so we’re asking Bern to intervene and protect all of our wildlife from this disastrous cull."

Badger Trust's Dominic Dyer added, "The UK government has cut corners and turned a blind eye to the damage this policy will do... The badger cull has been a shambles from the start, but it’s so unnecessary. Improved farming controls and tightening up on cattle movements have already led to big reductions in the disease – including a 50 percent reduction last year in Somerset."

Last week, Defra figures released at the same time as proposals for new cattle-based measures to address bovine TB in England showed that instances of the disease had fallen to a ten year low.