Concerns are being raised over the continued "slaughter" of badgers in Oxfordshire as the new Labour government has been accused of backtracking on its promise to end the practice.
The UK badger trust charity said they were "confused" and "disappointed" after Labour cabinet member Steve Reed announced the party would continue to allow pre-existing cull licences.
Badger culling in the UK is presently permitted under a licence as a way to reduce badger numbers in the hope of controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
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Confusion comes as in October Labour pledged to end the cull, with shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner saying the party would make England free of bTB by 2038 “with a range of measures that do not include culling”.
More than 210,000 badgers have been killed in England as a result of the controversial decade-long practice.
Oxford East Labour MP Anneliese Dodds has reiterated the government is "committed to working with farmers and scientists to introduce a serious package of measures to eradicate tuberculosis".
But speaking of the U-turn, Linda Ward, a trustee at the Oxfordshire Badger Group, said: “We believe more than 60 per cent of Oxfordshire is in a cull zone where over 70 per cent of all badgers are killed every year.
"If culling continues we might start to see local extinction in some areas."
Julia Hammett, another trustee, added: "It is now clear that the slaughter has not helped control bovine TB in cattle.
"Renewing existing disease control licences simply to ‘avoid shocks’ to the farming industry will be challenged in the courts."
Arguments made in favour of culling include claims it protects the health of the public and maintains public confidence in the safety of products entering the food chain.
The practice has also been carried out to meet UK international (in particular EU) and domestic legal commitments and maintain the "UK’s reputation for safe and high quality food".
Ms Dodds said: "Bovine tuberculosis is a serious threat to livestock farmers. It can be utterly devastating to their livelihoods.
"The Labour Government is committed to working with farmers and scientists to introduce a serious package of measures to eradicate tuberculosis.
"Labour will always follow the science to protect farmers' lives and livelihoods, but we’re crystal clear that we want to see an end to culling.
"We will learn from approaches in Scotland which have seen overall tuberculosis incidences fall without the need for widespread culling."
Arguments against culling include the risk of humans contracting bTB from milk being extremely low if certain precautions are taken, and scientists arguing that badger culling is unnecessary.
Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame, Freddie van Mierlo, said: "The evidence simply isn’t there that badger culling is effective at controlling bTB.
"I understand that in the countryside active management of species to support biodiversity and protect livestock is sometimes required, but the current approach just isn’t working and should not continue.
"There are far more humane and effective ways to control bTB than badger culling."
Bicester & Woodstock Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller added: "The Liberal Democrats would develop safe, effective, humane, and evidence-based ways of controlling bovine tuberculosis, including by investing to produce workable vaccines."
We contacted an Oxfordshire Conservative party representative for comment.
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About the author
Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county.
She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.
Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi
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