Correspondence

Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2020

Licences and conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.

Applies to England

Documents

Area 44 - Avon licence for badger control

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Area 45 - Derbyshire licence for badger control

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Area 46 - Gloucestershire licence for badger control

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Area 47 - Herefordshire licence for badger control

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Area 48 - Leicestershire licence for badger control

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Area 49 - Oxfordshire licence for badger control

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Area 50 - Shropshire licence for badger control

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Area 51 - Somerset licence for badger control

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Area 52 - Warwickshire licence for badger control

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Area 53 - Wiltshire licence for badger control

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Area 54 - Lincolnshire licence for badger control

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Details

Natural England has licensed and authorised 11 new badger control areas to begin operations in 2020. It has also authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 33 existing badger control areas in 2020. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra’s guidance to Natural England, dated August 2020.

Natural England has reissued the Annex A for 3 licences due to a change to their control areas as licensed in 2019. These areas were 34-Cheshire, 37-Devon and 40-Herefordshire.

It has also reissued the Annex B for all existing licences from area 11 to area 43 (inclusive). This follows a review of the conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.

Table 1: Badger control areas authorised in 2020

Area number and county Minimum number Maximum number Authorisation date Year of operations
Area 11 - Cheshire 228 514 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 12 - Devon None 416 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 13 - Devon 86 617 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 14 - Devon None 328 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 15 - Devon 306 542 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 16 - Dorset 691 2321 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 17 - Somerset 356 993 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 18 - Somerset 108 360 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 19 - Wiltshire 50 1067 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 20 - Wiltshire 217 657 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 21 - Wiltshire 625 1266 28 August 2020 Year 4
Area 22 - Cornwall 216 1716 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 23 - Devon 1505 2824 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 24 - Devon None 294 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 25 - Devon 402 897 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 26 - Devon 590 1104 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 27 - Devon 9 127 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 28 - Devon 34 299 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 29 - Gloucestershire 185 890 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 30 - Somerset 1063 2660 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 31 - Staffordshire 1397 3516 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 32 - Cumbria N/A N/A 28 August 2020 Year 3
Area 33 - Avon 226 650 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 34 - Cheshire 1127 1939 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 35 - Cornwall 1665 3128 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 36 - Staffordshire 724 1272 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 37 - Devon None 366 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 38 - Devon 1570 2696 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 39 - Dorset 175 472 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 40 - Herefordshire 719 1629 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 41 - Staffordshire 149 727 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 42 - Wiltshire 2310 4141 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 43 - Wiltshire 1058 1846 28 August 2020 Year 2
Area 44 - Avon 1514 2053 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 45 - Derbyshire 2054 2785 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 46 - Gloucestershire 599 812 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 47 - Herefordshire 1505 2040 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 48 - Leicestershire 1059 1435 3 September 2020 Year 1
Area 49 - Oxfordshire 1640 2223 2 September 2020 Year 1
Area 50 - Shropshire 4187 5676 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 51 - Somerset 1636 2218 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 52 - Warwickshire 1640 2223 3 September 2020 Year 1
Area 53 - Wiltshire 677 918 28 August 2020 Year 1
Area 54 – Lincolnshire N/A N/A 4 September 2020 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
Published 7 September 2020