The biggest development for UK Badgers is that routine badger culling in England has effectively come to an end, with the UK government confirmed it will not issue new intensive or supplementary culling licences. The final remaining routine licence in Cumbria has now expired, marking the end of the policy that began in 2013. Approximately one quarter of a million badgers have lost their life to this scientifically UNSUPPORTED practice!
Here are the main updates:
- End of routine culling: The last intensive badger cull licence has ended. Conservation organisations have welcomed the decision, while many farming groups remain concerned about the impact on bovine tuberculosis control, a link that has never been proven.
- New bTB strategy: In June 2026, the government accepted recommendations for a new science-led bovine TB eradication strategy. The emphasis is shifting towards:
- more cattle testing,
- improved cattle movement controls,
- targeted badger vaccination,
- enhanced surveillance,
- and continued research into cattle and wildlife disease control. The long-term aim remains achieving TB-free status for England by 2038.
- Vaccination replacing culling: DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency have been expanding badger vaccination programmes in former cull areas as part of the new approach.
The issue remains controversial:
- Conservation groups argue that the cull killed over 250,000 badgers while evidence of its effectiveness remains disputed, and they support focusing on vaccination and cattle-based measures instead.
- Farming organisations, including the National Farmers’ Union, have argued that badger control contributed to reducing bTB in some areas and have urged the government to ensure any replacement measures continue to protect cattle herds.
The scientific debate is also ongoing. Recent papers have questioned how much the original badger culling trials actually reduced bovine TB in cattle, while other researchers and government advisers maintain that wildlife management formed one part of a broader disease-control programme.
Overall, the policy has shifted decisively away from widespread badger culling towards a strategy centred on cattle measures, surveillance, and vaccination, although debate about the role of badgers in controlling bTB is likely to continue.