An animal rights organisation are calling for the Government to put an immediate end to the badger cull and to implement cow-focused measures to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

A petition created by Protect The Wild to change the law has surpassed 100,000 signatures.

In the lead up to the last election, the Labour Party vowed to "end the ineffective badger cull."

Yet, since taking power, the Labour government has continued the cull. The Government says that culling could continue right up to the end of this parliament.

Rob Pownall, Protect the Wild founder, said: “The government will no doubt claim it has a new TB eradication strategy in place — but the truth is, it’s complete rubbish. It’s just the same old scapegoating of badgers under a new name. The reality is this: badger culling is still set to continue until 2029. That’s another four years of state-sanctioned cruelty, flying in the face of science, public opinion, and even their own manifesto promises. It is a disgrace — and the British public knows it. This government has run out of excuses. It must end the cull now.”

Some research has suggested culling results in a reduction in bovine TB (bTB) in cattle. However, there are concerns about the methodology used. Other research, which has been peer reviewed and published, shows no evidence that culling badgers reduces confirmed bTB in cattle, Protect the Wild claims.

Over 230,000 badgers — many healthy — have been killed, disrupting ecosystems without solid scientific justification.

The petition reads: “The Government’s TB Eradication Strategy allows the continued killing of badgers, a protected species, until the end of this Parliament, despite the Labour manifesto calling the cull “ineffective.We believe the badger cull is unjustified and must end.”

To find out more about the petition, visit: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700317