Old Avon Badger Records

 

Historically and to see whether setts identified by the old Avon Badger Group (apparently went defunct in 1993) those records are important.

However, BRERC (Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre) has claimed it returned all the records on request. This has been disputed by the only two members of ABG I could find. The only member left with knowledge from the group is in her 80s and told me "I shall proudly take all the information to the grave" which does not help clan territories in the area,

One person who used to work in management at BRERC told me they knew the records were there and at one point "DEFRA had access to them".

If anyone knows any other living members of the old group can you please ask them to get in touch?

Thanks

59

 Another dead badger recorded this time in BANES:

059      Wednesday 27 95 2026 RTA Newton Road, Twerton, Bath  BA2 1RW

No Local "Massacre"

 There has been no large number of deaths of badgers in the BBG area. Someone was reading something about the cull and somehow confused what was written (NOT by me) to mean a large number of badgers had suddenly been killed here,  

Cars are THE top killer still.

"Put up "Wildlife Crossing" Signs"

 Two people asked why I do not raise funds to get "Wildlife Crossing" signs made and placed in  wildlife death hot spots?

I tried that about 5 years ago but no one was interested in donating and there is the legal problem. Highways England or Bristol City Council Highways will not put up signs as they cost money. They will not allow people to put up signs because THEY have to do that. Members of the public doing so can be prosecuted.

Really not enough people care about wildlife to donate the money needed and wildlife rescue in the area scrapes by.

So, yes, I have thought about and proposed the idea but,,,,

Nature Reserve Close By But Speeding Drivers....

 Badger killed and moved off road Callington Road BS4.

This is the latest in a long history of badger deaths on this road. The nature reserve is close by.

This is dead KNOWN badger 057

The Badger Cull Is Over....It's All Very Confusing

 

Cheers all round?  Read the part that says "Both the Badger Trust and Cumbria Wildlife Trust said they were concerned a culling licence remained potentially active in Cumbria, despite Defra's reassurances."

I have already stated several times that until the Government gives an absolute, in writing, guarantee that there will be no more culls there is ALWAYS the threat of a "required special licence cull".

Sadly, if possible, it will take many decades for the population to recover although extinction in some large areas is likely.  Over 300,000 badgers kill;ed due to bad science and corruption.

We should all be thankful for the work of anti cull groups who have risked a lot over the years including vicious assaults. 

Here is the BBC article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c172zyqwrzdo?fbclid=IwY2xjawR9ZKVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEew67CFtR1F9v1pu5VEcAgSWB_QHO2zkDh9_f3ixMT12iFi8Fz8Z3xQffovME_aem_XEiDMpl8qi7gw2NHqIAQhA#comments

Federica Bedendo

North East and Cumbria

Published

22 May 2026, 06:07 BST

2 Comments

Badger culling has effectively ended in England, the government has confirmed.

 

The practice was widely used in farming to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB), which resulted in the slaughter of more than 270,000 cattle in the last 10 years, according to government figures.

 

The last badger culling licence, which was granted in Cumbria in 2024, expires in 2028, but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was subject to an annual authorisation from Natural England, which would not be renewed.

 

The Badger Trust said the move was "good news for badgers" as culling was not an effective way to tackle bovine TB.

 

The trust's chief executive Nigel Palmer said: "You can't solve a disease in one animal by killing another animal."

 

The government said it was planning to move towards vaccinating badgers to control the spread of TB, but development of a vaccine for cattle was still under way.

 

"Until they address the problem in cattle, which is where the problem lies, they're not going to get on top of it," Palmer said.

 

Nigel Palmer, chief executive at the Badger Trust. He has short brown hair and he is speaking to a crowd, which is out of shot, holding a microphone. He is wearing a t-shirt with the word 'badgers' on it.

Image source,Nigel Palmer

 

The National Farmers Union (NFU) said badger culling had been effective in controlling transmissions, together with other measures such as cattle testing and movement control.

 

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said a decision to end wildlife control when effective cattle vaccination and testing were not expected to be available until 2030 left "gaping holes" in TB control policies.

 

He said: "There needs to be much greater urgency, attention and investment given to TB eradication. We still believe a comprehensive approach is the best way to eradicate this terrible disease."

 

Defra said the most recent data showed 5% of tested badger carcasses were positive for TB in 2024.

 

It said cattle testing and surveillance had always been "the foundation" of its strategy and a new plan to control TB was expected to be announced soon.

 

"Bovine TB remains one of the most difficult and persistent animal health challenges, causing devastation for farmers and rural communities," a Defra spokesperson said.

 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust said bovine TB took a "horrendous toll emotionally and financially" on farmers and they were "very keen" to see the government develop a vaccine for cattle.

 

"We share a lot of sympathy and empathy with the farmers who are affected," Cumbria Wildlife Trust's chief executive Steve Trotter said.

 

He added wildlife organisations would be open to working with Defra on a scheme to vaccinate badgers.

 

Steve Trotter, chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. He has short salt and pepper hair and wears glasses. He is wearing a dark fleece over a blue shirt. His arm is leaning on a drystone wall and there are green trees behind him.

 

Both the Badger Trust and Cumbria Wildlife Trust said they were concerned a culling licence remained potentially active in Cumbria, despite Defra's reassurances.

 

"It's very confused messaging," Palmer said.

 

"We would rather see them end all licences and actually focus on supporting farmers and supporting them to get on top of this terrible disease."

 

The Hunt Saboteurs Association, which opposed badger culling, said the practice had been a "disaster" for the environment and it was important to ensure it would never happen again.

 

Chairman Simon Russell said: "We need to step away from this attitude that as soon as we have a problem with any form of wildlife the answer is to kill it - we need to see that - at best - as the very last resort."

Badger Trust Still Trying To Push Out BBG

 

It HAS to be deliberate. Woke up this morning and there it was: The Badger Trust telling me it is setting up a Bristol badger group.

This is just to get more funding and the Trust has NEVER helped local badgers before and had I left it up to them more than a dozen setts would have been built on in the l;ast 6 years.

This is just the big corporate group wanting more groups for more funds.