Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement made by the Minister of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment to the Western Morning News on 25 May 2015, what the scientific evidential basis is for the statement that there is not a great deal of difference in practical terms between shooting badgers and shooting other wildlife.

The Chief Veterinary Officer has advised that based on the evidence of two annual culls, his view is that the likelihood of suffering in badgers culled by controlled shooting remains comparable with the range of outcomes reported when other culling activities, currently accepted by society, have been assessed, such as deer shooting.

A copy of the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-chief-veterinary-officers-advice-on-outcome-of-year-2-of-the-badger-culls