The Badger Cull: An Unscientific and Inhumane Policy

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed to Save Me that the badger culls will not be extended. However, they cannot be stopped immediately until an alternative approach is in place. All current cull licences are due to end by January 2026, with the exception of Cumbria, where a new licence was issued in 2025.

Following the release of the BBC documentary that exposed serious concerns about the cull, we are now working with DEFRA, farmers, and the government to determine what happens next.

At Save Me Trust, we remain absolutely opposed to the badger cull. Despite years of killing and the deaths of over 100,000 badgers, there has been no meaningful reduction in bovine TB. The infection rate remains virtually unchanged from when the cull began.

The government’s focus must shift to addressing the residual disease within cattle herds. The current testing methods simply aren’t fit for purpose. The standard tuberculin skin test—developed over a century ago—can miss up to 50% of infected animals, allowing the disease to persist undetected within herds.

The badger cull is unscientific, inhumane, ineffective, and entirely unjustified. It is also enormously expensive. If the full costs and outcomes were examined through a public inquiry and independent audit, the cull would be halted immediately.

We have campaigned tirelessly, held debates, and taken legal action, yet the policy continues to roll forward like a runaway train—driven not by science, but by politics.

Until this policy changes, badgers, cattle, and farmers will all continue to suffer needlessly.