BVA statement on pilot badger cull judicial review
The President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has written to the Badger Trust to clarify the BVA position on the pilot badger culls in England, stating that we will not be supporting the Trust’s application for a judicial review.
BVA Council agreed a position on the continuation of controlled shooting in the pilot areas on 16 April. The position states that BVA could only support further culling using controlled shooting in the pilot areas if steps are taken to improve both its effectiveness and humaneness and if there is robust monitoring and collation of results and independent analysis and auditing by a non-governmental body. It also states that we support the IEP’s recommendations for improving effectiveness and humaneness and urges Defra to implement all the IEP’s recommendations fully.
Since 16 April we have been in dialogue with Defra to seek assurances that these issues will be addressed, and those discussions are ongoing. We will not be taking a further position on the pilot culls until BVA Council has had the opportunity to consider Defra’s plans in full, when they are made available.
We are concerned that recent media reports, and the Badger Trust’s news release of 20 May announcing the application for a judicial review, have misrepresented our position and that some news articles have incorrectly suggested that BVA has withdrawn its support for badger culling as part of the overall strategy to eradicate bovine TB.
BVA continues to believe that the TB eradication strategy for England will only be successful if we are able to use all of the available tools, including targeted, humane badger culling.
