Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2023
Natural England has not licensed any new area intensive cull licences in 2023. It has authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 29 existing badger control areas. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra’s guidance to Natural England, dated May 2021.
Natural England has reissued the Annex A for 7 licences due to a change to their control areas as licensed in 2022. These areas are:
- Area 62 Buckinghamshire
- Area 63 Cornwall
- Area 65 Derbyshire
- Area 66 Devon
- Area 68 Northamptonshire
- Area 69 Oxfordshire
- Area 72 Warwickshire
Natural England has also reissued the Annex A for Area 54 Lincolnshire, originally licensed in 2020, due to a change to its control area this year.
Natural England has also reissued the Annex B for all existing licences from Area 44 to Area 72 (inclusive). This follows a review of the conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.
Table 1: Badger control areas authorised in 2023
| Area number and county | Minimum number | Maximum number | Authorisation date | Year of operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 44 – Avon | 89 | 1113 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 45 – Derbyshire | 0 | 1066 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 46 – Gloucestershire | 136 | 356 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 47 – Herefordshire | 0 | 618 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 48 – Leicestershire | 0 | 100 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 49 – Oxfordshire | 230 | 723 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 50 – Shropshire | 2494 | 4571 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 51 – Somerset | 118 | 1736 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 52 – Warwickshire | 98 | 941 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 53 – Wiltshire | 96 | 347 | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 54 – Lincolnshire | N/A | N/A | 25 August | Year 4 |
| Area 55 – Shropshire | 0 | 46 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 56 – Hampshire | 335 | 703 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 57 – Berkshire | 356 | 501 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 58 – Staffordshire | 0 | 253 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 59 – Worcestershire | 131 | 351 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 60 – Shropshire | 364 | 1036 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 61 – Oxfordshire | 287 | 622 | 25 August | Year 3 |
| Area 62 – Buckinghamshire | 859 | 1405 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 63 – Cornwall | 384 | 624 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 64 – Cornwall | 106 | 256 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 65 – Derbyshire | 376 | 810 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 66 – Devon | 305 | 462 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 67 – Hampshire | 286 | 537 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 68 – Northamptonshire | 797 | 1658 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 69 – Oxfordshire | 291 | 489 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 70 – Somerset | 46 | 120 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 71 – Warwickshire | 280 | 648 | 25 August | Year 2 |
| Area 72 – Warwickshire | 1136 | 1978 | 25 August | Year 2 |
Licence holders carry out operations under a 4-year licence. This allows badger control to take place in the licensed control area every year between 1 June and 31 January inclusive.
The licence holder will decide the start date for control operations within this period.
Natural England has confirmed to the licence holders the minimum and maximum numbers of badgers they can remove.
Protected sites listed in the Annex Bs are not necessarily part of any active operations. These can and will only occur on protected sites where the landowner or occupier has granted permission.
The licences only permit badger control to take place outside these closed seasons:
- controlled shooting – 1 February to 31 May
- cage-trapping and shooting – 1 December to 31 May
