Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many badgers have been culled; and what the cost to the public purse is of the badger cull.
The number of badgers culled in 2014 was 341 in Somerset and 274 in Gloucestershire.
The costs for 2014 are still being collated and will be published in due course.
Bovine TB threatens the future of our beef and dairy industries and is estimated to cost the taxpayer £1 billion over the next 10 years. This is why we will continue to pursue our comprehensive strategy to eradicate TB in England by 2038.