Over 10,000 Badgers Killed in 2024 Cull Despite Chief Scientist’s Advice
Back in April 2024, Dr. Peter Brotherton, Natural England’s Director of Science, conducted a thorough review and concluded that authorising additional supplementary badger culls to prevent the spread of Bovine TB is no longer justified.
And yet, in documents discovered by Badger Trust, Dr Brotherton’s advice was ignored and the 2024 Supplementary Badger Culls were licensed by Natural England, citing that one of their key factors was their relationship with farmers.
The Secretary of State laid out clear criteria on the considerations that Natural England should consider when issuing licences to kill badgers, and their relationships with farmers were not one of them.
Dr Brotherton’s conclusion from his review in 2024 was clear:
“Based on this evidence, my advice remains that I can find no justification for authorising further supplementary badger culls in 2025 for the purpose of preventing the spread of disease, and I recommend against doing so.”
