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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to issue supplementary cull licences in 2025.

The Government has started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy, to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this Parliament.

Licensing and authorisation decisions are made by Natural England as the delegated licensing authority for badger control in England. In accordance with the published policy guidance, which is available at the link below, no new intensive or supplementary badger control licences can be issued in 2025.

Existing cull processes will be honoured to ensure clarity for farmers involved in these culls whilst new measures can be rolled out through the new strategy. However, all remaining licences in the High Risk and Edge Area of England will end by January 2026.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989623/tb-licensing-guidance-ne.pdf.