Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures to control badgers infected with tuberculosis are currently actively being pursued, and whether any such measures which had previously been pursued are currently suspended.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue)Badgers, other than lactating sows, may be controlled in Great Britain when they are considered to be the likely origin of tuberculosis in a cattle herd. The method used for this purpose is humane shooting, following cage-trapping, by Ministry officials. The use of hydrogen cyanide gas for killing badgers ceased in 1980. Badgers are only removed from land grazed by cattle which reacted to the tuberculin test, or from the whole farm if no smaller area can be identified.
The new Government are leaving things as they are for the time being while we study the issue. So badger control is not being started in areas where it has not been undertaken in recent years. Control is continuing elsewhere.