Why are cull companies not being encouraged to vaccinate and release the 20-40% of badgers that are cage trapped before being shot?

Across the country 33,687 badgers were culled in 2021 bringing the total to 176,628 since 2013 at a cost of around £100 million. This is the largest slaughter of a protected species on record. Although 94% of bTB infections are from cattle to cattle, there has been a failure to focus on cattle measures.

A new scientific paper published in the Veterinary Record analysed Government bTB surveillance data and concludes that culling badgers has had no effect on reducing TB in cattle. The paper finds that any bTB reduction was due to cattle measures implemented before or during the cull period.

Oxfordshire Badger Group believe that the vaccination of badgers in the county is a more humane and cost effective alternative. The group has been working with farmers and landowners since 2018 to deliver a free vaccination programme. This year we will be covering a much larger area than before thanks to many more landowners and volunteers taking part.  

We call on the Government to stop the cull. Badgers in Oxfordshire are already under threat due to the unprecedented level of housing developments. Culling an iconic, protected native mammal on such an intensive scale is not acceptable in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world.

Natural England released details of the cull licences on 7th Sept 2021. There are 7 new cull zones including Berkshire and a 3rd cull zone is added to Oxfordshire's tally. Last year, 1040 badgers were killed in Oxfordshire.  This year the new 'area 61' allows for a minimum of 875 and a maximum of 1186 badgers to be shot. This years 'targets for Area 49 are 833-1412. So much for the promise to scale back on culling ! The licences will run for four years unless all the badgers are killed or the government sees sense and ends them early.

The government have issued a number of important statements on the Cull at the end of January.  We were horrified to learn that shooters in the Oxfordshire cull zones killed 1040 badgers in the 1st year of culling  (639 by free shooting and 401 cage trapped and shot). Overall least 38,642 badgers were killed in 2020.  You can read our newsletter summarising events here.

The Badger Trust has issued a statement criticising Defra badger cull challenge response as ‘meaningless’ and exposes the lack of a serious policy to control bTB.

Read the statement here.

In this ByLineTimes article  Claire Hamlett speaks to exasperated vaccination volunteers after 64,000 more badgers are threatened with a cull. Our own lead vaccinator, Debbie White was one of those interviewed.

This week OBG has heard from two landowners that have heard about the badger cull licence been issued in Oxfordshire.  These landowners are worried that the badgers on their land will be shot and killed.

Oxfordshire Badger Group vaccination and anti-cull campaign was covered by That's TV Oxford on 14th August and by  BBC South Today evening news on 18th August. Watch our videos !

Target of 2223 badgers to be killed in Oxfordshire

 Despite the Government saying in March that culling would move to vaccination the badger cull is set to come to Oxfordshire on the 1st September.

Leaked information has shown that Natural England will be licensing 10 new badger culling areas including Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire Badger group, (OBG) are very saddened and disappointed to learn that there will be badgers culled under licence in Oxfordshire this autumn.

Julia Hammett, chair of Oxfordshire Badger Group said “We believe in the 100% safe, no kill alternative of vaccinating badgers against Bovine TB and will continue our positive work to protect wildlife. We offer this service at no cost to landowners and maintain complete confidentiality.

If the Government were to invest in our programme instead of investing millions of pounds in culling we could expand this service to more landowners who have expressed an interest in vaccinating badgers on their land.”

To learn more about our vaccination project see https://www.gofundme.com/f/oxfordshire-badger-group-vaccination-project