There is a political will among the majority of Stormont parties to press ahead with some form of intervention to remove diseased wildlife to help get on top of bovine TB.

In the run-up to the election, the Irish Farmers Journal put a number of questions to each of the five main political parties, including whether they would be willing to support a cull of badgers in areas where there is a high incidence of bovine TB. Of the responses received, only the Alliance party said that they were opposed to an area based cull. “We do not believe it is proven to be effective or humane and, in England, has led to increases in bovine TB outside the cull area,” said a spokesperson.

Despite Alliance concerns about the policy in England, authorities there seem determined to press ahead, with Defra Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom confirming at this week’s NFU conference her intention to extend a badger cull across a wider area in 2017. In 2016, over 10,000 badgers were killed as part of a cull mainly in the south west of England.

Among the other parties, Sinn Féin remain non-committal on a badger cull, stating that it was evaluating the report, published in December 2016, of the TB strategic partnership group (TBSPG). “We will engage with all stakeholders on the detail of the plan,” said a Sinn Féin spokesperson.

However, a DUP spokesperson said that the party supports the majority of the recommendations made by the TBSPG, including a cull of wildlife in areas where there is a high incidence of bovine TB.

A UUP spokesperson took a similar stance, pointing out that bovine TB also has a negative effect on badger welfare, while a spokesperson for the SDLP emphasised that a range of measures are required, including the removal of infected animals.

The report of the TBSPG is being considered within DAERA, and a public consultation is expected later this year.