FEWER rural issues have been more fiercely divisive than how to tackle the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and whether badgers should be culled to do this.

So, when news broke earlier this month that Natural England had approved 11 new licences for badger culling, including one for Cheshire, there was huge public outcry against the move.

Under the terms of the licence, granted on September 11, authorised individuals have permission for ‘live-capture cage trapping and humane dispatch of trapped badgers by shooting and for controlled shooting of badgers’. Land owners must have granted permission for these activities to take place on their land.

While there is no doubt that bTB causes the farming community immense hardship and there is a need to find a way to control the disease, wildlife lovers maintain culls of this legally protected species are inhumane, and campaigners believe the evidence just doesn’t stack up to justify this approach.

With organisations such as Cheshire Wildlife Trust and Cheshire East Council banning culls on land they have control over, here are answers to some of the questions surrounding this complex and emotive issue.

What is bTB?

Bovine TB is a chronic, progressive and debilitating infectious disease of cattle which devastates thousands of farming businesses each year. Since the mid-80s, bTB in cattle has increased substantially creating an economic burden on the taxpayer and the farming industry, as infected cattle have to be culled.

What evidence is there for a badger cull?

It is generally accepted that badgers spread TB to cattle but it isn’t known what proportion of this disease in cattle arises from badgers. A long-term study showed that proactive culling of 70% of the badgers over a 150-square kilometre area over four years could be expected to reduce the incidence of the disease in herds by 16%.

The reductions were greater inside the cull area, but culling caused badgers to move around as their social structure was disrupted, spreading disease and causing a short-term increase in infection in herds just outside the cull area.

Why is the cull controversial?

Animal welfare and wildlife groups claim killing badgers is inhumane and ineffective and experts, including some involved in the long-term trial, have raised concerns about the policy, saying the gains won’t be large and costs could outweigh the benefits. New research also shows that close contact between badgers and cattle is rare, so the likelihood of direct transmission of the disease is low, calling into question the very reason to cull.

How much does it cost?

Between 2012 and 2014, the tax payer spent £16.8 million on the culling of 2,476 badgers. That’s almost four times more expensive than the Department for Environmnet, Food and Rural Affairs (Derfra) anticipated and works out at £6,800 per dead badger. Out of this figure, more than £4.9 million was spent on policing costs – equivalent to the annual salary costs of more than 120 police officers over a two-year period.

What are the alternatives?

Cheshire Wildlife Trust, which looks after more than 40 nature reserves across the county, believes the cull is ‘going against science’ and is calling for the Government to put more resources into speeding up the development of an effective vaccination.

Martin Varley, director of conservation at the trust, says: “We remain opposed to this cull on the basis that scientific evidence indicates that culling is unlikely to make a significant improvement in cattle infection rates.

“It is also not known what proportion of this disease in cattle arises from badgers. Our view is it is better to concentrate on vaccination of cattle in the long-term, and increased biosecurity on land and the vaccination of badgers in the short-term as more effective means of control.

“We will not be giving permission for a badger cull take place on our reserves. We won’t give support to groups who are prepared to act outside the law, but we are encouraging people to support and volunteer with Wirral and Cheshire Badger Group who have an ongoing badger vaccination programme.”