Maria Eagle MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to leaks of the findings of the Government’s Independent Expert Panel on the Badger Culling Pilots, said:

“Ministers must not ignore this damning verdict on the failure of the Government’s badger culls. This independent report looks set to confirm that less than half of the local badger population was removed in each pilot area, despite Minsters previously accepting that 70 per cent was the minimum to be effective and not risk the further spread of TB through perturbation. Appallingly, the analysis of the pilots has apparently also found that they failed the Government’s own ‘humaneness’ test.

“It would be outrageous if Ministers now sought to dismiss the advice of their own Independent Expert Panel and press on with further culling of badgers regardless. The Environment Secretary should come back to parliament on this issue and there should be no roll-out of the Government’s badger cull policy without a full debate and vote in parliament.

“These culls have been a disaster for taxpayers, farmers and wildlife. The Government must now put scientific evidence back at the heart of their approach to the serious issue of Bovine TB, instead of being led by the dogmatic personal prejudices of Ministers. They should agree to cross-party talks with the aim of securing a renewed consensus for the long term on eradicating Bovine TB through an alternative strategy based on vaccination and tougher restrictions on cattle movement.”