QUESTIONS were raised over the cost of badger culling this week, after it was revealed that the policing bill alone for a trial cull in England last year amounted to more than £1,000 per badger.
The Badger Trust asked Police and Crime Commissioners in Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Dorset how much had been spent policing the cull in 2015. The total figure across the three forces was £1,675,112.
The UK Government had previously said that 1,467 badgers were culled that year, meaning that each badger cost £1,142 in policing costs.
This is on top of the cost of culling the badgers, which the government claimed was around £3,500. However, a Freedom of Information request by the Badger Trust indicated that the cost, including policing, was £6,775 per badger.
Carmarthenshire County Council agreed at a full council meeting last week to lobby the Welsh Government for a badger cull in the county, following the failure of a Welsh Government vaccination scheme, which cost around £700 per badger. The scheme failed due to a global shortage of the vaccination.
A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “TB poses a huge threat to our farming industry and has cost £500million over the last decade.
“We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy, including tighter cattle movement controls, badger vaccination and culling in areas where TB is widespread.
“We work closely with all those involved in the delivery of the culls to ensure they continue to be delivered safely.
“Government’s costs continue to be reduced year on year and will be kept under review.”
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