Legal challenge to English badger cullWildlife campaigners in England have applied for a judicial review of the decision by Natural England in May 2024 to grant 26 supplementary badger cull licences, allowing badgers to be removed in cull zones from 1 June to 30 November 2024.
Legal challenge to English badger cull
Wildlife campaigners in England have applied for a judicial review of the decision by Natural England in May 2024 to grant 26 supplementary badger cull licences, allowing badgers to be removed in cull zones from 1 June to 30 November 2024.
The legal challenge is being taken by Wild Justice and the Badger Trust, represented by English law firm, Leigh Day. Both Wild Justice and Leigh Day were involved in a successful challenge against badger culling in NI last October.
The latest case against Natural England, a public body that advises government on environmental issues, is that the licences have been issued to maintain the confidence of the farming community, rather than actual disease control.
The wildlife groups allege officials from DEFRA advised Natural England that any abrupt changes to badger control policy would “seriously undermine” the department’s ability to work constructively with farmers.
In addition, the groups maintain that the advice from Natural England’s own scientists back in April was that following four years of intensive culling, there was no justification for authorising more culls this year.
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