The Government has confirmed it will not issue new licences for culling badgers to tackle tuberculosis in cattle after 2022.
But wildlife campaigners warn tens of thousands of badgers will be killed over the next four years before the programme is halted in 2026, and accused ministers of ignoring calls from the public to end the culls immediately.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) reacted angrily to the change in policy, warning it would jeopardise the ability to control the disease, which led to 27,000 cattle being slaughtered in England in the last year.
Controversial culling of badgers, which can spread bovine tuberculosis to cattle, was introduced in 2013 to curb the disease, and nearly a decade later the Government has signalled a move away from the policy.
No new badger culling licences will be issued after 2022, minister says
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