Badger Cull Goes to High Court

UK - Judge, Mr Justice Iriwin, has granted permission for the Badger Trust to undertake a judicial review of Defra's decision to permit badgers to be culled in areas of England this autumn, as part of the Government's programme to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (TB).

23 April 2012

1 minute read

Europe

In granting permission, the judge observed that arguably DEFRA’s evidence shows that the proposed cull may in fact make matters worse and spread TB.

The case is likely to be heard at the High Court, London in June.

The court’s decision times with DEFRA’s publication of the latest statistics on bovine TB. Despite the doomsday picture painted by DEFRA in the run up to the decision to cull in December 2011, the (belatedly published) statistics point to a slight decline in bovine TB -without a single badger being killed, says the Badger Trust.

Perhaps, more rigorous cattle testing and restrictions on infected cattle’s movement is having the positive effect predicted by the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) which concluded that culling would not work.

Badger Trust’s solicitor, Gwendolen Morgan of Bindmans LLP said “We are pleased that the court has given the Badger Trust’s challenge the green light on all three grounds. The badger cull as proposed would make matters worse at great cost to farmers, badgers and rural communities.”