Vets back badger cull pilots

Evidence on whether controlled shooting is an effective way to cull badgers must be gathered, the British Veterinary Association has said.

The association issued a statement on 31 May in support of the pilot culls that are part of the government’s strategy for tackling the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The open season for badger shooting began in the two pilot areas Somerset and Gloucestershire on 1 June and has been met with protests.

The BVA’s president Peter Jones said: “We accept that there is a gap in our knowledge, which is whether controlled shooting can deliver a badger cull humanely and safely, and to the same degree of effectiveness as cage trapping and shooting. That is what the pilots are designed to address and why is it important that they are allowed to go ahead unhindered.”