§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many badgers there were in(a) Gloucestershire and (b) the UK in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [39269]
§ Mr. MorleyNo annual data on the number of badgers exist either at county or national level.
Based upon two surveys the number of badgers in Great Britain is estimated to be between 300,000 and 400,000. The latest survey which was conducted in the mid-1990s revealed an increase in badger numbers of around seventy per cent compared with the first survey which was undertaken in the mid-1980s. These surveys indicated that the badger population in the south-west region as a whole increased approximately in line with the national trend.
1510W