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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce cases of Badger Baiting.

Badger persecution is a UK wildlife crime priority, and a police-led Tactical Delivery Group exists to tackle offences against badgers.

Defra is providing £530,000 in the financial year 2026-2027 for the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence.

In England and Wales, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provide protection against certain methods of killing, injuring, or taking of badgers, or interference with their setts. Anyone who breaches this legislation could face up to a six-month custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine.