A policy that permits badger culling on council-owned land could be considered by the county council, as culling in Oxfordshire increases. 

Green Councillor Ian Middleton proposed the motion, which requests that the cabinet should consider the specific policy.

Oxfordshire County Council passed a motion in 2018 stating that it was opposed to the licensing of a badger cull in the county.

The notes for this motion acknowledge that many people assume the practice has ended, after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced that badger culling would be phased out by 2025.

However, it goes on to say that culling has “intensified” in Oxfordshire, with 50 percent of the county being in the “kill zone”, as people try to shoot “as many badgers as possible before the deadline”.

The motion calls for the Council to re-affirm its opposition to badger culling and requests that the Leader of the council should write to DEFRA to stress the council’s opposition to the practice.

READ MORE: Hollywood Doctor Who actress coming to Oxford University

The motion states: “While it’s welcomed that the new government has abandoned plans to allow up to 100 per cent of badgers to be killed in some areas, there was a hope that they would cancel  the cull completely and focus on cattle based measures, including support for farmers over improved biosecurity, and a move towards testing and vaccination.”

The motion will be proposed at the Oxfordshire County Council meeting on Tuesday, November 5.

If passed at the county council, the motion will be decided by the cabinet at their next meeting.