Policy paper

Summary of 2019 badger control operations

Published 27 March 2020

Applies to England

Natural England Chief Scientist’s advice on the outcome of badger control operations

Effectiveness of industry-led culling

The outcome of this year’s operations indicates that industry-led badger control continues to deliver the level of effectiveness required by the policy to be confident of achieving disease control benefits:

  • New areas licensed in 2019 (Areas 33 to 43) effectively applied lessons learned from badger control operations in previous years to make a successful start to their operations. All 11 areas applied an appropriate level of targeted effort across their respective areas to achieve their minimum number.
  • All 28 areas in their 2nd to 4th years (Areas 4 to 31) applied an appropriate level of targeted effort to maintain the population at a reduced level.
  • Areas were set a minimum number to achieve by Day 42 of their cull. Three areas (Area 15, 16, and 27) met this number and received an updated minimum number to reflect their continuation beyond 42 days. These areas finished marginally below their continuation period minimum number, however they deployed the required level of effort and delivered an effective cull.

As in previous years, minimum and maximum numbers were updated as initial estimates of badger abundance were refined by actual circumstances observed in the field once badger control operations were underway. This being necessary despite the widespread use of sett surveys to provide field evidence of the size of the badger population.

Safety of operations

Operations across all areas were carried out to a high standard of public safety. No significant incidents affecting public safety were reported in relation to the use of firearms.

Humaneness of controlled shooting

Contractors continued to show high levels of discipline and compliance with the Best Practice Guide. The level of accuracy of controlled shooting continued to compare favourably with the range of outcomes when other control activities, currently accepted by society, have been assessed.

Dr Tim Hill
Chief Scientist, Natural England

UK Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice and conclusions on disease control benefits

In 2019, I have continued to provide oversight and advice on disease control of the operations for all 40 existing cull areas (Areas 4 to 43). My advice for Areas 1 to 3 who are currently undertaking licensed Supplementary Badger Control will be released separately.

Along with Natural England’s Chief Scientist, we have concluded that all existing cull areas have delivered the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits, including Areas 33 to 43 who began culling this year. Areas 4 to 11 concluded their fourth year of control operations and will be eligible to apply for a Supplementary Badger Control licence in 2020. In order for the remaining cull areas to maximise disease control benefits, they should continue culling to maintain the level of reduction in the badger population for the duration of their licences (1 year for Areas 11 to 21, 2 years for Areas 22 to 31, 3 years for Areas 33 to 43).

Based on the results of surveillance of culled badgers carried out in 2018[footnote 1], I recommended that culling should take place for a second year in Area 32-Cumbria and I continued my responsibility of monitoring the operations in this area. This year, Area 32 applied an appropriate level of targeted effort and sett coverage across the extended 2019 cull area and so are considered to have achieved a successful second year of culling. APHA has again carried out disease surveillance operations and results of this will be available in due course. This data will continue to inform the type of disease control operation to be carried out in subsequent years.

In October 2019 we saw the publication of a peer-reviewed academic study on the effect of badger culling (Downs et al. (2019) Nature Scientific Reports[footnote 2]). The report builds on the work by Brunton et al. (2017)[footnote 3] and shows a statistically significant decline in bTB herd incidence in the first two cull areas: a 66% reduction in OTF-W TB incidence rates in Area 1-Gloucestershire and a 37% reduction in Area 2-Somerset over the 4 years of intensive badger culling, relative to similar comparison areas where no culling took place The study also looked at the first two years of culling in Area 3-Dorset which showed no change yet in TB incidence. These results were consistent with the Randomised Badger Culling Trial and show that a culling policy implemented by the farming industry can result in statistically significant reductions in the incidence of cattle TB. The paper showed no increase in incidence outside the three cull areas, which was unexpected based on what had been predicted due to the perturbation effect. I anticipate existing areas to see similar benefits of reduced disease incidence in cattle over their licence periods.

Christine Middlemiss
UK Chief Veterinary Officer

Background

On 11 September 2019, Defra announced[footnote 4] that as part of the government’s 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis and protect the livelihoods of dairy and beef farmers, Natural England had licensed and authorised Badger Disease Control operations across 40 areas in Avon, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire.

Badger control operations, lasting at least 6 weeks, took place in each area, between 2 September and 27 October 2019. This document sets out the outcomes from those areas.

Effectiveness

Estimates of the badger population in each control area were supplied by Defra for the purpose of giving advice to Natural England on setting the minimum and maximum number of badgers to be removed in the licences. The estimates, methodologies and rationale used were published in September 2019[footnote 5].

As in previous years, Natural England monitored the progress in each control area closely. The levels of contractor shooting effort, number of cage-traps set and number of badgers removed were recorded on a daily basis in all accessible land parcels. This provided Natural England with regular information on the amount of effort deployed by each control company and its spatial distribution. This enabled a detailed assessment of the progress that each control company was making towards achieving their minimum and maximum numbers, and allowed Natural England to assess whether resources were being effectively deployed across all accessible land.

Updating minimum and maximum numbers

As set out in Section D of Defra’s advice to Natural England, numbers were reviewed as operations progressed to assess whether the badger population in each control area was higher or lower than the initial estimate suggested. Based on an assessment of the data on Day 28 in 32 control areas, Defra advised Natural England to adjust the minimum and maximum numbers upwards in six control areas and downwards in the other 26 control areas to better reflect the evidence of badger abundance. Details of the calculations can be found in Annex A1.

Progress towards minimum and maximum numbers

In 2019, 37 control areas achieved their minimum number and did not exceed their maximum number, see Table 1. The remaining 3 areas (Areas 15, 16 and 27) achieved their Day 42 minimum number, and finished only marginally below their final minimum number, which was adjusted following continuation beyond 42 days (see Annex A1). The remaining area (Area 32 – Cumbria) did not receive minimum and maximum numbers as these are of less utility in the Low Risk Area given the aim of preventing disease spreading within wildlife and aid eradication of disease.

Table 1: Number of badgers removed by Areas 4 to 43 during 2019 badger control operations.

Area Updated minimum number Updated maximum number Total number of badgers removed Number removed by controlled shooting Number removed by cage-trapping
Area 4 – Cornwall 0 142 140 86 54
Area 5 – Cornwall 0 276 84 71 13
Area 6 – Devon 208 1087 308 194 114
Area 7 – Devon 0 290 147 110 37
Area 8 – Dorset 377 1586 563 493 70
Area 9 – Gloucestershire 282 1181 575 522 53
Area 10 – Herefordshire 94 362 193 190 3
Area 11 – Cheshire* 205 278 226 187 39
Area 12 – Devon* 503 683 521 348 173
Area 13 – Devon* 296 402 309 81 228
Area 14 – Devon* 279 378 321 236 85
Area 15 – Devon* 213 289 203 101 102
Area 16 – Dorset* 1230 1668 1228 1020 208
Area 17 – Somerset* 427 579 445 384 61
Area 18 – Somerset 170 230 191 155 36
Area 19 – Wiltshire 597 811 645 530 115
Area 20 – Wiltshire* 559 758 583 430 153
Area 21 – Wiltshire 417 566 443 334 109
Area 22 – Cornwall* 977 1325 1092 643 449
Area 23 – Devon* 1140 1546 1158 744 414
Area 24 – Devon* 253 343 278 140 138
Area 25 – Devon* 261 354 305 167 138
Area 26 – Devon* 370 501 434 328 106
Area 27 – Devon* 98 133 96 50 46
Area 28 – Devon 150 204 157 69 88
Area 29 – Gloucestershire 756 1026 854 591 263
Area 30 – Somerset* 1262 1712 1435 1263 172
Area 31 – Staffordshire* 1425 1934 1660 1375 285
Area 32 – Cumbria N/A N/A 317 116 201
Area 33 – Avon 962 1306 1084 676 408
Area 34 – Cheshire* 1247 1692 1440 1110 330
Area 35 – Cornwall* 2642 3585 3000 1448 1552
Area 36 – Staffordshire* 839 1139 1039 838 201
Area 37 – Devon* 1504 2040 1636 886 750
Area 38 – Devon* 1706 2315 2068 1279 789
Area 39 – Dorset 735 997 744 440 304
Area 40 – Herefordshire* 1937 2628 2131 1607 524
Area 41 – Staffordshire* 1420 1928 1611 983 628
Area 42 – Wiltshire* 3144 4266 3568 2942 626
Area 43 – Wiltshire 1434 1947 1485 1230 255

Minimum and maximum numbers for areas marked with an * include an additional increase of 1.5% per operational day given continuation in those areas beyond 42 days, see Annex A1.

More data on these areas can be found in Annex A2. Natural England will use the data on effort levels and numbers of badgers removed to inform its requirements for future badger control operations.

Accuracy of controlled shooting

Shooting accuracy was used as a proxy measure for ‘humaneness’ and was assessed using observations from Natural England Monitors of badgers being shot at under controlled shooting conditions.

Summary of controlled shooting observations

Monitors observed 149 badgers being shot at using controlled shooting, of which 11 appeared to be missed and 6 appeared to be hit but were not retrieved. In such cases, the use of firearms carries an element of risk with regard to the wounding of individual animals. While the contractor has control over the condition of the firearm, ammunition used, zeroing of the rifle and shooting technique, once the trigger is released, external parameters outside of the contractor’s control come into play. Wounding can result for a number of reasons, with movement of the target species simultaneously with trigger release being the most common.

The non-retrieval rate observed in 2019 (11.4%, 95% confidence interval 7.1%–17.2%[footnote 6]) is similar to that observed during the operations in the last seven years.

As with 2016 and 2017, post-mortem examination of badgers removed by controlled shooting would only have been carried out by exception in Areas 4 to 43. This year none were requested.

More details on compliance monitoring conducted during badger control operations can be found in Annex B.

Safety of the operations

Operations in all 40 control areas were carried out to a high standard of public safety. All existing badger control companies’ contractors continued to receive training prior to the commencement of operations in 2019, on the requirements of the published Best Practice Guides[footnote 7], lessons learned and safety training.

In relation to the use of firearms in all 40 control areas, no significant incidents affecting public safety were reported. Contractors continued to show high levels of discipline and adherence to the Best Practice Guides, see Annex B.

Conclusions

The results from 2019 indicate that all 40 badger control companies have delivered the level of badger removal required to be confident of disease control benefits and that the operations were carried out to a high standard of public safety.

The levels of controlled shooting accuracy achieved in this year’s operations were similar to those in the previous six years. The likelihood of suffering in badgers is comparable with the range of outcomes reported when other control activities, currently accepted by society, have been assessed. Licensed control companies will need to continue to ensure that their contractors receive rigorous training to maintain high standards of effectiveness, humaneness and safety.

  1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-surveillance-in-wildlife-in-england/tb-surveillance-in-badgers-during-year-1-badger-control-operations-in-eastern-cumbria-low-risk-area-2018 

  2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49957-6 

  3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.3254. 

  4. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-authorisation-for-badger-control-in-2019. 

  5. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-to-natural-england-on-setting-minimum-and-maximum-numbers-of-badgers-to-be-controlled-in-2019. 

  6. Estimates of confidence intervals for proportions were produced using a “Modified Jeffries interval” (Brown and others, 2001). 

  7. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/controlled-shooting-of-badgers-in-the-field-under-licence-to-prevent-the-spread-of-bovine-tb-in-cattle–2; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cage-trapping-and-dispatch-of-badgers-under-licence-to-prevent-the-spread-of-bovine-tb-in-cattle.