THE Government’s decision to offer badger culling licences to 2026 have been slammed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.
The Trust says the move will put up to 130,000 animals at risk of being shot.
The announcement follows a public consultation earlier this year, when, with the support of the UK’s Wildlife Trusts, more than 39,000 people responded with 36,958 emailing their MP urging an immediate halt to the issuing badger cull licenses.
Ed Green, chief executive of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said: “The Government has failed to listen to the public.
“If a further 130,000 animals are killed within the next five years, we could lose 60 per cent of England’s badgers.
“This is desperately sad and will also have repercussions on the health of natural habitats because badgers are a keystone species, vital to a thriving ecosystem.”
A quarter of the European badger population is found in the UK.
The Wildlife Trusts say they are sympathetic to the hardship bovine TB causes farmers, however Ed said: “Bovine TB is primarily a cattle disease spread by cattle.
“That’s why we want to see an immediate end to the badger cull and greater resources put into developing cattle vaccination as well as implementing widespread vaccination of badgers.”
