Bovine TB: authorisation for supplementary badger control in 2021
Published By GOV.UK [English], Tue, Jun 8, 2021 2:28 AM
Natural England has licensed and authorised 11 new supplementary badger control areas to begin operations in 2021. It has also authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 10 existing supplementary badger control in 2021. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra’s guidance to Natural England, dated August 2020.
Table 1: Supplementary control areas authorised in 2021
1 June is the earliest possible date for the start of operations and is the start of the open season. Specific company start dates may vary within this and will be the decision of the company.
Area number and county
Minimum number
Maximum number
Authorisation date
Year of operations
Area 1 - Gloucestershire
125
540
14 May 2021
Year 5
Area 2 - Somerset
109
578
14 May 2021
Year 5
Area 3 - Dorset
163
383
14 May 2021
Year 3
Area 4 - Cornwall
131
380
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 5 - Cornwall
152
461
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 6 - Devon
294
1173
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 7 - Devon
145
455
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 8 - Dorset
475
1685
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 9 - Gloucestershire
219
1118
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 10 - Herefordshire
90
359
14 May 2021
Year 2
Area 11 – Cheshire
122
408
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 12 - Devon
194
1155
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 13 - Devon
180
711
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 14 - Devon
85
425
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 15 - Devon
157
393
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 16 – Dorset
427
2057
4 June 2021
Year 1
Area 17 - Somerset
86
723
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 18 - Somerset
50
302
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 19 - Wiltshire
292
1274
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 20 - Wiltshire
154
595
14 May 2021
Year 1
Area 21 - Wiltshire
122
763
14 May 2021
Year 1
The licence holder will decide the start date for control operations within this period. Licence holders carry out operations under a licence which allows badger control to take place in the licensed control area every year between 1 June and 31 January inclusive.
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
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