Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Over 100,000 badgers killed as ‘cruel’ culling comes to end
MORE than 100,000 badgers have now died in the Government’s controversial seven-year cull, which is to be phased out after delivering “the level of effectiveness required”, say officials.
Last year, 35,034 were killed, taking the death toll to 102,188 since the scheme began in 2013.
While the figure outstrips the 32,601 culled in 2018, the Government had sanctioned the deaths of up to 63,000 badgers last year.
The scheme operated in 40 areas of England, from Cornwall to Cumbria. Publishing the results of the 2019 programme, Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: “We have concluded that all existing cull areas have delivered the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.”
But campaigners claim there is insufficient evidence that the deaths prevent the spread of tuberculosis to cattle and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced this month it plans to replace culling with vaccinating cattle and badgers. Badger
Trust chief exec Dominic Dyer said: “They have been pointless deaths, as the Government has effectively admitted by switching to a vaccine.
“Badgers are now being slaughtered at such a rate that they could face local extinction in areas they have inhabited since the Ice Age.”
Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard said: “There was never any evidence that the cull worked. We now need a proper science-led approach to tackling bovine TB and an immediate end to the cruel badger cull.”