RSPCA Assistant Director of Policy Gemma Hope said: “While the Godfray panel response rightly emphasises the need to find non-lethal disease control methods, it does not go far enough and the UK government must act now to bring a permanent end to the badger cull.

“The focus of bTB policy should be on cattle measures to effectively tackle the spread of the disease. We would like to see biosecurity measures made mandatory, according to local levels of bTB risk. The reviews acknowledge poor uptake of cattle measures such as on-farm biosecurity improvements and the rise in risk when trading increases cattle mobility. But substantial improvements are still needed, with farmers needing more support if the 2038 eradication target is to be met.

“We are extremely disappointed at the absence of any mention of animal welfare or ethical consideration which should be central to effective bTB policy. More than 247,000 badgers had been culled under licence by the end of 2024, and we remain deeply concerned about the welfare implications of badger cull policy. Ethical wildlife management principles deem changing human behaviour should be the first option and lethal methods a last resort. This needs to be at the heart of policy.

“Free or ‘controlled’ shooting of badgers from a distance at night, the main method used to cull badgers, is cruel and inhumane as badgers can take a significant amount of time to die from bullet wounds, blood loss, and organ failure.

“Badger culling has been used ineffectively in the fight against bTB since the 1970s. This report acknowledges bTB is primarily spread between cattle, so the primary focus should be on cattle measures, not wildlife management, to effectively tackle the spread of bTB.

“This disease devastates farming communities, taking a significant financial and emotional toll. We agree that farmers should ‘take ownership’ of eradication measures but they must be supported with clear, consistent, scientifically-sound advice. Farmers can’t solve this alone and we agree with the panel that only the Government can provide an effective solution to what remains one of the biggest threats to the agricultural industry.

“We urge the government to develop bTB eradication measures with animal welfare at their heart.”