Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2022

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