Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2019
Licences and conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.
Applies to England
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Natural England has licensed and authorised 11 new badger control areas to begin operations in 2019. It has also authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 29 existing badger control areas in 2019. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra’s guidance to Natural England, dated May 2018.
Natural England has reissued the Annex A for 2 licences due to a change to their control areas as licensed in 2018. These areas were 24-Devon and 32-Cumbria. It has also reissued the Annex B for all existing licences from area 4 to area 32 (inclusive). This follows a review of the conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.
Table 1: Badger control areas authorised in 2019
| Area number and county | Minimum number | Maximum number | Authorisation date | Year of operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 4 - Cornwall | None | 142 | 5 September 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 5 - Cornwall | None | 276 | 5 September 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 6 - Devon | 208 | 1087 | 29 August 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 7 - Devon | None | 290 | 5 September 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 8 - Dorset | 377 | 1586 | 5 September 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 9 - Gloucestershire | 282 | 1181 | 5 September 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 10 - Herefordshire | 94 | 362 | 29 August 2019 | Year 4 |
| Area 11 - Cheshire | 701 | 988 | 5 September 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 12 - Devon | None | 863 | 29 August 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 13 - Devon | 598 | 1128 | 5 September 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 14 - Devon | 268 | 608 | 5 September 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 15 - Devon | 420 | 656 | 5 September 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 16 - Dorset | 2205 | 3835 | 29 August 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 17 - Somerset | 777 | 1414 | 29 August 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 18 - Somerset | 323 | 575 | 29 August 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 19 - Wiltshire | 1220 | 2237 | 5 September 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 20 - Wiltshire | 593 | 1034 | 29 August 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 21 - Wiltshire | 793 | 1434 | 5 September 2019 | Year 3 |
| Area 22 - Cornwall | 1250 | 2706 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 23 - Devon | 1798 | 3043 | 29 August 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 24 - Devon | 223 | 536 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 25 - Devon | 827 | 1322 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 26 - Devon | 479 | 901 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 27 - Devon | 107 | 225 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 28 - Devon | 392 | 658 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 29 - Gloucestershire | 1455 | 2346 | 29 August 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 30 - Somerset | 2505 | 4158 | 29 August 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 31 - Staffordshire | 433 | 1880 | 5 September 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 32 - Cumbria | N/A | N/A | 29 August 2019 | Year 2 |
| Area 33 - Avon | 1297 | 1758 | 29 August 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 34 - Cheshire | 1389 | 1883 | 5 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 35 - Cornwall | 2756 | 3736 | 5 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 36 - Staffordshire | 780 | 1058 | 10 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 37 - Devon | 1479 | 2005 | 5 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 38 - Devon | 1374 | 1863 | 5 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 39 - Dorset | 1052 | 1426 | 29 August 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 40 - Herefordshire | 3020 | 4094 | 5 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 41 - Staffordshire | 1228 | 1665 | 5 September 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 42 - Wiltshire | 2906 | 3939 | 29 August 2019 | Year 1 |
| Area 43 - Wiltshire | 1476 | 2001 | 29 August 2019 | 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