Policy paper

Summary of 2021 supplementary badger control operations

Published 30 March 2022

Applies to England

Background

In July 2017, Defra announced^{[footnote 1]} 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 could licence and authorise local farmers and landowners to carry out Supplementary Badger Control operations across two areas. This authorisation was extended to permit licensing of a third area in 2019, seven areas in 2020 and a further 11 areas in 2021.

In 2021, badger control licences were re-authorised to take place for a fifth year in Gloucestershire and Somerset, for a third year in Dorset and for a second year in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. An additional 11 areas were granted badger control licences in 2021, including one area in Cheshire, four areas in Devon, one area in Dorset, two areas in Somerset and three areas in Wiltshire. Operations were authorised to take place between 1 June 2021 and 20 December 2021. This document sets out the outcomes of these operations in those areas.

Effectiveness

Estimates for the number of badgers to be removed from each licensed area were provided by Defra for the purpose of giving advice to Natural England for the setting of minimum and maximum numbers. The estimates, methodologies and rationale used were published in September 2021^{[footnote 2]} .

As in previous years, Natural England monitored the progress in licensed areas. The numbers of badgers removed were reported in accessible land parcels on a regular basis. This provided information on the number of badgers dispatched, the spatial distribution of badger control activity and the effort that was deployed. This enabled an assessment of the progress that each badger control company was making towards achieving the minimum and maximum numbers, and allowed Natural England to assess whether resources were being effectively deployed across accessible land.

Progress towards minimum and maximum numbers

In 2021 all 21 supplementary control areas met the required level of culling effort and spatial coverage across their areas. 15 of these areas achieved their minimum and did not exceed their maximum number, while six supplementary control areas (Areas 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 15) ceased operations having removed fewer than their minimum numbers.

The number of badgers removed against the minimum and maximum number is presented in Table 1 for each licensed area.

Table 1: total number of badgers removed per licensed area

Area	Minimum number	Maximum number	Badgers removed	Removed by controlled shooting	Removed by cage trapping
Area 1 – Gloucestershire*	125	540	65	61	4
Area 2–Somerset*	109	578	56	42	14
Area 3 – Dorset*	163	383	70	60	10
Area 4 – Cornwall	131	380	174	160	14
Area 5–Cornwall*	152	461	34	26	8
Area 6 – Devon*	294	1173	269	239	30
Area 7 – Devon	145	455	167	155	12
Area 8 – Dorset	475	1685	481	465	16
Area 9 – Gloucestershire	219	1118	306	294	12
Area 10 - Herefordshire	90	359	109	107	2
Area 11 – Cheshire	122	408	283	260	23
Area 12 - Devon	194	1155	384	321	63
Area 13 - Devon	180	711	250	171	79
Area 14 - Devon	85	425	276	255	21
Area 15 – Devon*	157	393	87	69	18
Area 16 - Dorset	427	2057	707	647	60
Area 17 - Somerset	86	723	265	243	22
Area 18 - Somerset	50	302	133	127	6
Area 19 - Wiltshire	292	1274	448	437	11
Area 20 - Wiltshire	154	595	430	307	123
Area 21 – Wiltshire	122	763	254	233	21

* Areas that ceased operations having removed below their minimum numbers

Safety of the operations

Operations in all licensed areas were carried out to agreed standards of public safety. All contractors continued to receive updates prior to the commencement of operations in 2021 on the requirements of the published Best Practice Guides, lessons learned and safety. In relation to the use of firearms, no incidents affecting public safety were reported in any of the areas.

Humaneness of controlled shooting

In SBC areas, Natural England assesses compliance with the standards set out in the Best Practice Guides for the controlled shooting of free-ranging badgers and cage trapping and dispatch of badgers through risk-based monitoring. Monitoring is conducted by exception only and reserved for any new contractors or where information has been received on licensed activities. Seven visits were conducted during the 2021 operational period; four of new contractors and three of existing. No compliance issues were identified during these visits. There was one self-reported contractor shooting event where a badger was shot at but not retrieved in Area 8 - Dorset. Natural England investigated this shooting event to ascertain the circumstances and concluded the badger was wounded and lost. This represents 0.02% of the total number of badgers removed.

Sett surveys

Following the advice provided by Natural England’s Chief Scientist in 2020, sett surveys were required in all SBC areas prior to licensing / re-authorisation in 2021, which confirmed the continued presence of badgers in these areas.

Natural England Chief Scientist’s advice on the outcome of supplementary badger control 2021

The badger population reductions achieved in the 21 SBC Areas have been evaluated on the basis of the numbers and locations of badgers culled, the numbers culled against effort over time, and our assessments of the level and spatial distribution of culling effort deployed.

Based on the available information, 15 out of the 21 Areas deployed a sufficient level and spatial distribution of culling effort and removed the minimum number of badger’s set, and conclude that they have completed effective supplementary culls.

In a further six Areas, whilst these companies did not achieve the minimum number that was set, the spatial distribution of badger control activity and the level of culling effort that was deployed, suggests that the reduced badger population required by the policy has been maintained. As such, it has been concluded that effective supplementary culls have also taken place in these six areas. Discussions with the Chief Veterinary Officer regarding the remaining badger population concluded that localised extinction has not occurred in any of these six areas and that reduced numbers of badgers is likely due to a generally lower population.

The minimum and maximum numbers for 2022 will be set in line with Defra’s commitments under the Bern Convention. We will continue to ensure that local extinction does not occur in order to protect the UK’s badger population. We will also continue to undertake surveillance and monitoring of other protected species in order to ensure that we avoid any adverse consequences on them.

Dr Tim Hill
Chief Scientist, Natural England

Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice on the outcome of supplementary badger control 2021

In 2021, I continued to provide oversight and advice on disease control and humaneness of the operations for 21 existing supplementary badger control areas (Areas 1 to 21). My advice for the intensive cull areas (Areas 22 to 61) will be released separately.

The aim of supplementary badger control is to preserve the disease control benefits which are expected from the completion of a four-year badger control operation. To achieve this, supplementary control needs to be effective in maintaining a reduced level of badger population.

The badger population reductions achieved in the 21 areas have been evaluated based on the numbers and locations of badgers culled, the numbers culled against effort over time, and Natural England’s independent assessments of the level and spatial distribution of culling effort deployed.

With Natural England’s Chief Scientist, we have concluded that all 21 areas delivered sufficient levels of effort and coverage required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits, despite some areas not meeting their minimum number. In 2022, all supplementary badger control areas will be required to submit sett survey information before being granted a licence. This will be to provide confidence of remaining badger activity.

A reduction in the badger population has been maintained in the 21 areas and an effective supplementary cull has taken place.

Christine Middlemiss
Chief Veterinary Officer

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-authorisation-for-badger-control-in-2017 ↩

2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-to-natural-england-on-setting-minimum-and-maximum-numbers-of-badgers-to-be-controlled-in-2021 ↩