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25/06/2012
Badger Trust Take Opposition of Cull To High Court
The Badger Trust will today address the high court in opposition to controversial government plans to kill thousands of badgers.
The Trust will tell a judicial review that the action is neither legal nor scientifically justified.
Caroline Spelman, the secretary of state for environment, believes the cull is necessary to curb the rising number of tuberculosis infections in cattle, which led farmers to slaughter 25,000 animals in 2010 alone.
Cull opponents are also attacking the "undue influence" of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) in the decision to go ahead with the shooting of badgers across England.
In a February letter to the Badger Trust, officials at the environment department (Defra) argued that "advice from the NFU was so integral to the development of the cull policy" that it considered the NFU to be a part of the government in this instance, and would therefore not release its "internal" communications with the lobby group.
"The NFU has had an undue influence on the culling policy. My question is what do they have to hide?" said Jeff Hayden of the Badger Trust.
Gwendolen Morgan, a solicitor at Bindmans, who are representing the trust, said: "Whilst the NFU clearly have expertise on farming, the fact remains that they are an external, unelected, unaccountable lobby organisation. Defra's argument goes against accountability, transparency and good governance."
Hayden said the trust had a "duty" to make the high court challenge. "We are challenging this on legal and science grounds – we are neither bunny huggers nor violent activists – and we really don't think it will help reduce TB in cattle."
(H)
The Trust will tell a judicial review that the action is neither legal nor scientifically justified.
Caroline Spelman, the secretary of state for environment, believes the cull is necessary to curb the rising number of tuberculosis infections in cattle, which led farmers to slaughter 25,000 animals in 2010 alone.
Cull opponents are also attacking the "undue influence" of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) in the decision to go ahead with the shooting of badgers across England.
In a February letter to the Badger Trust, officials at the environment department (Defra) argued that "advice from the NFU was so integral to the development of the cull policy" that it considered the NFU to be a part of the government in this instance, and would therefore not release its "internal" communications with the lobby group.
"The NFU has had an undue influence on the culling policy. My question is what do they have to hide?" said Jeff Hayden of the Badger Trust.
Gwendolen Morgan, a solicitor at Bindmans, who are representing the trust, said: "Whilst the NFU clearly have expertise on farming, the fact remains that they are an external, unelected, unaccountable lobby organisation. Defra's argument goes against accountability, transparency and good governance."
Hayden said the trust had a "duty" to make the high court challenge. "We are challenging this on legal and science grounds – we are neither bunny huggers nor violent activists – and we really don't think it will help reduce TB in cattle."
(H)
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