For Immediate Release:
THE BADGER TRUST has made an application for judicial review at the High Court to challenge the legality of the DEFRA Secretary of State’s decision of 3 April 2014, to allow the continued culling of badgers in Gloucestershire and Somerset. SEE HERE.
In the judicial review the Badger Trust will argue that the DEFRA Secretary of State unlawfully failed to put in place any Independent Expert Panel for the planned culling of badgers in Gloucestershire and Somerset in 2014, who will oversee the design of data collection and its analysis and interpretation to assess the safety, effectiveness and humaneness of the culling operation.
Without this independent monitoring system in place the Badger Trust submits that it is not lawful for the DEFRA Secretary of State to make any decision for a further national roll out of the badger cull policy, following the completion of the planned culling operation in 2014.
Commenting on the legal challenge Dominic Dyer CEO of the Badger Trust and Policy Advisor at Care for the Wild said
” The badger cull policy has been a complete and utter failure on scientific, economic and humaneness grounds. There is no justification for continuing with this failed policy which no longer has the confidence of the public, politicians and increasingly the veterinary and farming industry.
Owen Paterson made a clear commitment to Parliament and wider public that an independent panel will oversee and evaluate the pilot culls and report back to the Government prior to any decision being taken on the policy being rolled out more widely.
It is not acceptable for the DEFRA Secretary of State to now push aside the concerns of both the Independent Expert Panel and the British Veterinary Association, by moving ahead with a further badger cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset this summer without any independent monitoring in place.
To then make any decision on a national roll out of the hugely controversial badger cull policy without these independent monitoring safeguards, is in our view illegal and will lead to huge public and political anger.
We therefore call on the British Veterinary Association and members of the 2013 Pilot Cull Independent Expert Panel to support the Badger Trust legal challenge”
Dominic Dyer CEO Badger Trust 07876 596233
Jack Reedy Badger Trust 07751 731107 / 01564 783129
BADGER TRUST