Badger Trust, formerly the National Federation of Badger Groups (NFBG),
is an animal welfare charity operating in England and Wales. It states that it is the leading voice for badgers and that its charitable aim is to promote and enhance the welfare, conservation and protection of badgers, their setts and their habitats. It represents around sixty local badger groups dedicated to the conservation and protection of the
European badger
The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range and a large stabl ...
.
The trust campaigns against
badger culling in the United Kingdom
Badger culling in the United Kingdom is permitted under licence, within a set area and timescale, as a way to reduce badger numbers in the hope of controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
Humans can catch bTB, but public health con ...
.
The trust filed legal challenges in the
High Court against planned badger culls, challenging a planned cull in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
in 2010. The Trust won a temporary halt to the Welsh cull. In 2012, the Trust's lawyers sent a 16-page legal letter to
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
, which licensed a badger cull, calling upon the agency to stop a planned cull in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
and
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, established_date = Ancient
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; in 2014, the Trust filed a challenge in High Court to this planned cull. This challenge was unsuccessful. In 2016, the Badger Trust spoke out against plans to expand badger culling to five new areas in
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...
; the group's chief executive said that the four years of badger culling had "been a disastrous failure on scientific, cost and humaneness grounds" and called for a halt.
In 2014, the group issued a report about illegal snaring and hunting of badgers in Britain. Badger Trust sees campaigning around crimes against badgers as a key area of focus and calls for increased sentences to five years, in line with crimes against domestic animals.
Local Badger Groups are the direct action side of the Badger Trust. There are around 50 local voluntary Badger Groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
[Badger Trust Website]
Badger Trust Website
''The Badger Trust'' (June 04, 2018).
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website
Animal welfare organisations based in the United Kingdom
Badgers
Wildlife Trusts of the United Kingdom