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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of changes to safety requirements for the 2014 badger cull on the safety of that cull.

The Independent Expert Panel concluded that they were confident that controlled shooting can be carried out safely, even in the context of protester activity. As with the first year of the culls, Best Practice Guidance for the controlled shooting of badgers is in place and compliance with this will be monitored by Natural England.