Badger Trust judicial review underway
Lawyers representing the Badger Trust have begun outlining the arguments of a judicial review that will have profound implications for Defra’s policy of culling badgers in England to control bovine TB.
During the first morning of the two day hearing at London’s High Court, which took place yesterday, points were raised about whether the Defra policy reflected the aims of the relevant legislation in terms of tackling bovine TB in badgers and cattle.
The Badger Trust council have indicated that the law differentiated; for example, the differences between culling wildlife for the purpose of reducing the spread of disease between areas, to reducing disease within an area. They have suggested that by focussing on the latter Defra policy may be unlawful.
Arguments were also outlined regarding the role of Natural England as the provider of licences for wildlife control. They claimed that Defra’s impact analysis on the costs and benefits of the culls were not detailed enough.
It was made clear that the Badger Trust were not challenging the science of culling badgers to control TB but instead the process of making the decision to permit pilot badger culls in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset this autumn.
The case continues today.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
