Guidance

Controlled shooting of badgers in the field under licence to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle

Guidance for licensed operators to carry out controlled shooting of badgers in the field.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England
Published
26 August 2014
Last updated
30 August 2022 — See all updates

Documents

Controlled shooting of badgers in the field under licence to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle

PDF, 362 KB, 21 pages

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Details

This guidance:

  • provides direction to licensed operators to carry out controlled shooting of free-ranging badgers in the field
  • gives recommendations on best practice
  • highlights areas of the technique that licensed operators must comply with, including licence conditions

This guidance does not confer any authority to undertake the actions described. These actions may only be undertaken where:

  • Natural England has issued a specific licence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 authorising the killing of badgers
  • in accordance with class licence WML-CL05

Those acting under licence must:

  • comply with all conditions
  • take all reasonable steps to carry out licensed operations safely and humanely
Published 26 August 2014
Last updated 30 August 2022 + show all updates

  1. COVID-secure practices section has been updated. Section 5 'Shooting methods' in The Guide has also been updated.

  2. Replaced PDF with revised version dated April 2021.

  3. Guidance document updated.

  4. First published.

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