Oxford University called 'unethical' over badger shootings

Around a dozen people came out to the gathering at St Giles asking that scientists at the university call out "flawed science" and handing an open letter to a professor at the Department of Statistics Thursday afternoon (August 22). 

Protesters at St Giles. (Image: OBG.)

This comes amid an ongoing badger culling trial which sees the practice currently 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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More than 210,000 badgers have been killed in England as a result of the controversial decade-long practice and the Oxfordshire Badger Group (OBG) says it believes 10,000 badgers will have been shot in the county by the end of this year.

Julia Hammett, chairman of the OBG, said: "This event is an important part of the bigger national effort to end the badger cull because Oxford University is the intellectual home of the cull.

Badger in Oxford captured by young wildlife photographer Alex White, from Appleton.

"Their approach to one of the major animal welfare issues of the day is not scientifically principled or ethical.

"A recent, peer reviewed scientific paper has shown that Oxford University's science is fundamentally flawed and unreliable but past governments have used this science to embark on a mass shooting of around 230,000 badgers nationally, using methods found to be inhumane by government appointed welfare experts.

"At least 60 per cent of Oxfordshire is in the cull area.

Protesters and badger at Department of Statistics. (Image: OBG.)

"The badger cull began in Oxford, it must end in Oxford. The decades old scandal of blaming badgers for bovine TB needs to be addressed."

A University of Oxford spokesman said: "As a department committed to scientific inquiry, we prioritise academic freedom of speech and support the right of individuals to engage in constructive discourse around causes they believe in, including relevant petitions.

"In terms of the academic debate – it is up to individual academics with expertise in the field to choose whether to engage directly.’’

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".

Protesters at the Department of Statistics. (Image: OBG.)

Arguments against culling include the risk of humans contracting bTB from milk being extremely low if certain precautions are taken, along with disputed evidence.

Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East, 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.

Anneliese Dodds MP. (Image: Contribution.)

"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."

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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