End the Badger cull and adopt other approaches to bovine TB control
The Government’s TB Eradication Strategy allows the continued killing of badgers, a protected species, until the end of this Parliament, despite the Labour manifesto calling the cull “ineffective.” We believe the badger cull is unjustified and must end.
Signatures
102,458
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 100,000/100,000 · reached
- 28 MAY 2025Petition closedFinal total: 102,458 signatures
- 11 MAY 2025100,000 signatures reachedEligible to be considered for debate
- 10 JAN 2025Government respondedDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsGovernment reply
Bovine TB has devastated British farmers and wildlife. Work has started on a new eradication strategy to drive down TB rates, protecting cattle and farmers’ livelihoods, and to end the badger cull.
Read full response - 29 NOV 202410,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 28 NOV 2024Petition opened for signatures
Background
Some research has suggested culling results in a reduction in bovine TB (bTB) in cattle. However, there are concerns about the methodology used. Other research, which has been peer reviewed and published, shows no evidence that culling badgers reduces confirmed bTB in cattle. Over 230,000 badgers — many healthy — have been killed, disrupting ecosystems without solid scientific justification.
We call for an immediate end to the cull and the implementation of cattle focused measures to control bTB, rather than what we see as scapegoating wildlife.