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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what was the cost to the public purse of badger culling in England in each year since 2013.

The costs to the Government of badger culling in England are published annually on Gov.uk, and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-government-badger-control-costs. Costs for 2021 are being calculated and will be published once ready.

The costs of badger culling need to be placed in context of the annual taxpayer costs of TB eradication in England, which are around £100 million per year. More than £30 million was spent on cattle compensation in the year to 31 March 2022.