Natural England has licensed 1 new area badger control licence in 2024 in the low risk area (LRA) county of Cumbria. Natural England has also extended the expiry date of the control licence in the LRA county of Lincolnshire for a further 2 years.
Natural England has authorised the licence holders to commence or resume operations in the 2 LRA badger control areas and to resume operations in 18 existing badger control areas within the high risk area of England. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra's guidance to Natural England, dated May 2021.
Natural England has also published the licence annex B for all new and existing licences from Area 54 to Area 73 (inclusive). This follows a review of the conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.
| Area number and county | Minimum number | Maximum number | Authorisation date | Year of operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 54 - Lincolnshire | N/A | N/A | 30 August | Year 5 (of 6) |
| Area 55 - Shropshire | 0 | 92 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 56 - Hampshire | 152 | 521 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 57 - Berkshire | 70 | 215 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 58 - Staffordshire | 0 | 142 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 59 - Worcestershire | 0 | 218 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 60 - Shropshire | 0 | 640 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 61 - Oxfordshire | 131 | 467 | 30 August | Year 4 (of 4) |
| Area 62 - Buckinghamshire | 1316 | 1744 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 63 - Cornwall | 516 | 729 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 64 - Cornwall | 231 | 381 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 65 - Derbyshire | 380 | 779 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 66 - Devon | 294 | 433 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 67 - Hampshire | 199 | 450 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 68 - Northamptonshire | 431 | 1218 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 69 - Oxfordshire | 280 | 459 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 70 - Somerset | 0 | 49 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 71 - Warwickshire | 199 | 568 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 72 - Warwickshire | 566 | 1396 | 30 August | Year 3 (of 4) |
| Area 73 - Cumbria | N/A | N/A | 6 September | Year 1 (of 4) |
The licence allows authorised persons to undertake badger control within the licensed control area each year between 1 June and 31 January inclusive.
The licence holder will decide the start date for control operations within this period.
Natural England has confirmed to the licence holders the minimum and maximum numbers of badgers they can remove.
Protected sites listed in the Annex Bs are not necessarily part of any active operations. These can and will only occur on protected sites where the landowner or occupier has granted permission.
The licences only permit badger control to take place outside these closed seasons:
- controlled shooting - 1 February to 31 May
- cage-trapping and shooting - 1 December to 31 May
