Nottinghamshire charity's anger at cuts to badger vaccination cash

The wildlife trust said it had vaccinated 275 badgers through the DEFRA-funded scheme

A Nottinghamshire charity has said it will be unable to continue to vaccinate badgers against bovine tuberculosis after the government ended funding for a scheme.

The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has been in the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme (BEVS) for seven years.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has now ended support.

DEFRA said the scheme had been due to end in 2023.

The trust said the scheme had allowed it to vaccinate 275 badgers against bovine tuberculosis and cost DEFRA around £30,000 a year.

It said it had matched DEFRA's contribution to form a team of experts in vaccinating badgers around the Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire border.

Bovine tuberculosis has been identified as a threat to cattle.

'Hard to take'

Trust chief executive Paul Wilkinson said: "Although Defra only provided partial funding, we have chosen to support the BEVS programme for the past seven years because it was the right thing to do.

"It was the right way to protect badgers and to protect farmers' livelihoods.

"The match funding provided through our donors and cost savings delivered through our specially-trained project volunteers meant our project delivered excellent value for money and we are proud of our record.

"Having the rug pulled from under us by our project partner when we had a skilled and motivated team primed for action has left us baffled and frustrated but knowing that we will not now be able to vaccinate badgers on land where farmers are ready and waiting for us to do so makes us angry.

"To see our successful, cost-effective project, which only cost Defra in the region of £30,000 a year, end is hard to take, especially when there are landowners ready and waiting for us to vaccinate on their land."

A DEFRA spokesperson said: "We are fully committed to working in partnership with groups wishing to vaccinate badgers against this insidious disease.

"We have provided a new simplified licence, trialled a new reporting app and provided a subsidy to help reduce the cost of the vaccine.

"Funding for the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme was due to end in 2023.

"We have decided to extend the grant for an additional year for partners that have demonstrated clear progress towards the continued vaccination of badgers."

The spokesperson said future support was being considered.