Natural England has licensed and authorised 11 new badger control areas to begin operations in 2022. It has also authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 29 existing badger control areas in 2022. 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 10 licences due to a change to their control areas as licensed in 2020/2021. These areas were: 46 – Gloucestershire, 50 – Shropshire, 51 – Somerset, 53 – Wiltshire, 55 – Shropshire, 56 – Hampshire, 57 – Berkshire, 58 – Staffordshire, 60 – Shropshire, 61- Oxfordshire.
It has also reissued the Annex B for all existing licences from area 33 to area 62 (inclusive). This follows a review of the conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.
Table 1: Badger control areas authorised in 2022
| Area number and county | Minimum number | Maximum number | Authorisation date | Year of operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 33 – Avon | 360 | 993 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 34 – Cheshire | 845 | 1685 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 35 – Cornwall | 529 | 2163 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 36 – Staffordshire | 47 | 594 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 37 – Devon | 0 | 770 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 38 – Devon | 0 | 963 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 39 – Dorset | 40 | 473 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 40 – Herefordshire | 0 | 691 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 41 – Staffordshire | 0 | 144 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 42 – Wiltshire | 0 | 2437 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 43 – Wiltshire | 383 | 1324 | 26 August | Year 4 |
| Area 44 – Avon | 676 | 1700 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 45 – Derbyshire | 171 | 1421 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 46 – Gloucestershire | 201 | 427 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 47 – Herefordshire | 349 | 1150 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 48 – Leicestershire | 247 | 596 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 49 – Oxfordshire | 242 | 735 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 50 – Shropshire | 2675 | 4766 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 51 – Somerset | 259 | 1887 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 52 – Warwickshire | 644 | 1487 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 53 – Wiltshire | 195 | 447 | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 54 – Lincolnshire | N/A | N/A | 26 August | Year 3 |
| Area 55 – Shropshire | 335 | 493 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 56 – Hampshire | 651 | 1026 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 57 – Berkshire | 312 | 457 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 58 – Staffordshire | 464 | 861 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 59 – Worcestershire | 142 | 362 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 60 – Shropshire | 1137 | 1940 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 61 – Oxfordshire | 497 | 882 | 26 August | Year 2 |
| Area 62 – Buckinghamshire | 680 | 922 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 63 – Cornwall | 278 | 377 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 64 – Cornwall | 281 | 381 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 65 – Derbyshire | 697 | 944 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 66 – Devon | 408 | 553 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 67- Hampshire | 413 | 560 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 68 – Northamptonshire | 1353 | 1834 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 69 – Oxfordshire | 570 | 772 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 70 – Somerset | 270 | 366 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 71 – Warwickshire | 680 | 922 | 26 August | Year 1 |
| Area 72 – Warwickshire | 1442 | 1954 | 26 August | Year 1 |
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
Follow this news feed: HM Government