Badger cull threat in Derbyshire sparks wildlife trust's plea to public

Wildlife campaigners are horrified by the possibility of badgers being culled in Derbyshire for the first time to curb the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Badger in Derbyshire. Photo by Andrew Parkinson, 2020Vision.Badger in Derbyshire. Photo by Andrew Parkinson, 2020Vision.
Badger in Derbyshire. Photo by Andrew Parkinson, 2020Vision.

A cull is expected to be announced shortly for more than 50 areas in England with the operation beginning in the autumn. Derbyshire is on the list which is believed to have been leaked by the Government according to a report by the county’s wildlife trust.

Members of the public are being urged to lobby MPs to prevent the cull as a study by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has shown that there is no evidence that TB is endemic in the county’s badgers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Trust volunteers in Derbyshire run the largest, most established Government funded vaccination programme in the country and are concerned that a cull will result in vaccinated badgers being shot and disrupt the ability of the programme to expand.

Tim Birch, director of nature’s recovery at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Earlier this year the Government said that it was committed to expanding and supporting vaccination of badgers and phasing out culling. Yet the reality is the complete opposite and for the first time badgers could be shot in Derbyshire this autumn.

“Derbyshire Wildlife Trust ran a highly successful campaign last year and received huge public support which helped to stop a cull in Derbyshire. However, the threat to Derbyshire badgers remains unchanged. The Government has spent thousands of pounds supporting what they claim is the flagship badger vaccination project in the county yet they appear to be on the brink of caving into pressure from the National Farmers Union and allow badger culling in Derbyshire for the very first time.”

The trust has written to farmers stating: “We are very conscious of the hardship that bovine TB causes in the farming community and the need to find the right mechanisms to control the disease. However, we believe that a badger cull is not the answer and have been vaccinating badgers as a positive alternative.”

To support the campaign, go to the web page https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/65732/action/1