A controversial cull is under way in the UK, the National Farmers Union has confirmed. Farmers began shooting badgers yesterday in a pilot project to stop them spreading bovine tuberculosis to cattle. The cull, opposed by animal welfare groups spearheaded by Queen guitarist Brian May, was due to start last October but was postponed.
The UK government decided last year that a cull was justified, based on research suggesting that culling 70 per cent of the badgers within an area of 150 square kilometres could reduce the number of TB outbreaks on farms by 16 per cent. "We're still satisfied that the cull is justified based on the evidence," says a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
In June, the department licensed two pilot culls at sites in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire. The aim is to kill 70 per cent of the badgers in a six-week period. This could mean killing as many as 2100 badgers in Somerset, and 2900 in Gloucestershire. The aim is to shoot around 120 per night, says DEFRA. Further six-week pilots are also scheduled for the following four years.
"It will take a number of years to find out if culling prevents the spread of disease," the spokesman says. In the short term, the pilots will mainly reveal whether the culls are humane and efficient. If the culls are successful, DEFRA says it will consider issuing licences for culls in other parts of England.
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