HC Deb 11 November 1998 vol 319 c252W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the badger population of England and Wales. [58592]

Mr. Rooker

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has made no direct estimates of the badger population of England and Wales. A report to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (1995) based on surveys carried out in 1988 for the Nature Conservancy Council suggested pre-breeding badger population sizes of 195,000 in England and 35,000 in Wales. A report by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (1997) suggest that badger activity in Britain increased by 77 per cent. between 1988 and 1997. I understand those responsible for producing these figures are reviewing them, although no revisions have been published yet.