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FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

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Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

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Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

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Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

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Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

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Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

Leave a reply




Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

FoE sues to keep Devon’s wild beavers free Updated for 2026

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Friends of the Earth has taken the first formal legal steps to a Judicial Review that could prevent the Government from capturing a family of beavers living in the wild in Devon, and placing them in captivity.
 
In papers submitted to the court this week the environment campaign group is seeking to challenge licences issued by Natural England (NE) to capture the animals, which were filmed on the River Otter earlier this year.

According to the Government department responsible for wildlife, Defra, the beavers should be captured to test them for the exotic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

But according to FoE, it is “highly unlikely” that they are infected. And in any case, it is possible to test and release them within a day, as is currently done in Scotland.

Release your evidence!

FoE has also sent a letter to Natural England demanding that it reveal whether, and how, it considered the application of the Habitats Directive, and demanding the release of the risk assessment which was carried out, within 14 days.

NE had previously asked FoE to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. However the process is a slow one and FoE would not have received the information in time to challenge the beaver capture licences, which were issued without publicity on 24th July.

The lack of cooperation from NE effectively forced FoE into taking legal action. In its letter the campaign group writes: “We have grave concerns about the conformity of the decision-making process by your authority with the requirements of the Habitats Directive …

“Natural England has granted a licence, seemingly under Article 16 of the Habitats Directive which will have the effect of extinguishing the existing wild population of beaver (a European protected species) in this part of England.

“The beaver self-evidently is not in favourable conservation status and there is therefore no power to rely on the Article 16 derogation. In any event, alternative solutions (including testing and immediate release) have not been considered. Therefore no derogations can apply.

“Further, before any derogation can be applied, a precautionary approach to the conservation of the species must be undertaken. This has not occurred. The decision on its face is therefore unlawful.”

Let the beavers be!

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alasdair Cameron said:  “At a time when our wildlife is facing an unprecedented crisis, the Government should be taking steps to protect and expand the range of key native species like the beaver – not removing them from our rivers.

“We know that beavers can bring many benefits, such as boosting fish stocks, improving biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding – as well as injecting a little more joy into our landscape.

“These animals have been living and breeding in Devon for years, Ministers should work with the local community to find a sensible solution that allows them to remain in the wild.
 
“This is an opportunity to create a richer, better environment for ourselves and our children, where we can experience the beauty of animals that are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Beavers are a native species once found right across England, which were driven to extinction several hundred years ago. In recent years several populations have been re-established in Scotland.

Wildlife experts, including Natural England itself, have indicated that their reintroduction would bring many benefits to the English countryside.

 

 

 

Email the Minister: Keep Devon’s beavers in the wild.

 




385865

Save the free beavers of England! Updated for 2026

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After an absence of more than two centuries, wild beavers have returned to Britain. For me that is an exciting thing to say.

At first they reappeared in Scotland – through escapees in Perthshire and an official reintroduction programme in Argyll. Now they are in England too, living and breeding on the River Otter in Devon.

Like most people I was thrilled when I heard the news. An iconic species was returning, enhancing biodiversity and enriching our environment. And it was happening with minimal fuss. or trouble.

Sadly, not everyone has seen it that way. The response from the government and some special interest groups has been depressingly familiar.

The animals they say, are a threat. They will harm fish stocks, they could carry disease. And, just to make it final, they have been gone too long. The landscape has changed too much. We cannot live together.

Across Europe, people and beavers mix

None of this is true. In virtually every country in Europe people and beavers manage to live side by side. These are not animals which require true wilderness but a species which live happily in modern agricultural landscapes.

They bring many benefits – enhancing fish stocks, increasing biodiversity and helping with flood prevention. There is a reason there have been 157 beaver reintroductions across the continent.

Despite this DEFRA, egged on by a few lobbyists, announced in early summer that it was planning to capture the beavers and “rehome” them. That could mean only one thing, a life in captivity and no more beavers in the wild. The uproar that followed was predictable. Columns were written, petitions were signed and local action groups came together.

In the weeks since, everything has gone quiet. Yet behind the scenes it seems preparations are still continuing to catch the animals.

There are rumours that traps have been ordered and moved into the area. Locals fear that the capturing could begin as soon as October.

Removing the population from the wild may be illegal

Friends of the Earth does not work much with beavers, and we do not run nature reserves in the UK, but we do know about the law, and in this case it seems to be very much on the beaver’s side.

The European Habitat Directive, a piece of law the UK agreed to, sets out clear rules for the protection of native species. The beaver is listed in Annex IV, and for these species Article 12 prohibits

  • all forms of deliberate capture or killing of specimens of these species in the wild;
  • deliberate disturbance of these species, particularly during the period of breeding, rearing, hibernation and migration;
  • deliberate destruction or taking of eggs from the wild;
    deterioration or destruction of breeding sites or resting places.its capture or killing in the wild.

It also obliges the government to establish a system of strict protection for all Annex IV animals.

The fact that the animals are not listed in the UK’s domestic regulations, due to the fact that they have been absent for some time, does not matter provided that the beavers are within their natural range.

And they are.

European beavers (Castor fiber) were once common throughout the continent and were found in almost every region, including Great Britain, where they were widespread, occurring right across the island.

Archaeological remains have been discovered from Cornwall to the North of Scotland. There are towns named after them. They are a recognised component our river systems. Natural England, the body that will no doubt be tasked with overseeing their removal, recognises this.

Netherlands, France, Belgium – so why not England?

Just as importantly, the modern British landscape is a perfect example of the kind of modern habitats they thrive in. In its 2009 feasibility study on reintroducing beavers to England, Natural England stated that it was ‘evident that many if not most of England’s rivers would provide suitable habitat to support beavers’.

The physical characteristics of the River Otter match the criteria they laid out. That there are beavers living and breeding there proves it.

The fact too that the beavers have just recently arrived is likely to be irrelevant. The concept of natural range outlined in the Directive is not static, and the guidance makes it clear that where the animals spread to a new area, that area must be considered part of its natural range.

Even if the beavers on the River Otter are escapees, this is no reason to consider them as being beyond their natural range. Indeed, the return of the beavers to England is just the latest stage in a process that has seen them rebound all over their territories.

From a population of just over a thousand a hundred years ago, they are now found in over 30 countries, including some of the UK’s nearest neighbours in the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Beavers have been seen swimming in the sea off Kent, and of course there are already populations in Scotland.

Little threat of disease

The Habitats Convention’s Article 16 does provide a let out that could, in specified circumstances, allow trapping. ‘Derogations’ from Article 12 may be permitted, for example:

  • in the interest of protecting wild fauna and flora and conserving natural habitats;
  • to prevent serious damage, in particular to crops, livestock, forests, fisheries and water and other types of property;
  • in the interests of public health and public safety, or for other imperative reasons of overriding public interest;
  • for the purpose of research and education, of repopulating and re-introducing these species and for the breedings operations necessary for these purposes.

Perhaps that’s what Lord de Mauley had in mind when he wrote a letter to the Angling Trust, raising the spectre that the animal might be carrying disease as a reason to catch them.

But this is a red herring. The disease in question, Echinococcus multilocularis, cannot be transmitted simply from beaver to beaver. In any case it can be easily tested for.

If the beavers living on the river were found to be free from disease, as they almost certainly are, it would be unjustifiable, disproportionate and potentially unlawful not to re-release them back onto the Otter, precisely because they are protected by the Directive.

As for the other circumstances provided in Article 16, DEFRA would be hard to argue that trapping the beavers was a matter of public health and safety, overriding public interest, or preventing serious damage.

None of the let outs appear to apply in this case where the beavers are causing no problems to anyone, and can only enhance the quality of wildlife habitat.

Community support

When the Scottish government tried to get rid of the wild beavers the community rallied round, eventually creating enough fuss for the issue to be dropped.

In Devon too everyone from farmers to shopkeepers to local councillors has spoken out in favour of the continued presence of the beavers.

It is still not too late. It is not clear how much the government really wants to catch these animals. By raising our concerns, we hope that DEFRA will realise that its actions will not just be unpopular, but potentially illegal.

We are not saying that our countryside should become a free-for all, but rather that we should take this opportunity to stop and think and work out the best way forward.

In the future beavers may need to be controlled, and the Habitats Directive allows this where genuinely necessary. We fully accept that and there are people who know how to do this.

At a time when so many species are under threat, and where the loss of biodiversity has become so constant that it almost loses its meaning, the ability to see a native species re-establish itself is a privilege, and one we should not give up lightly.

 

 

Alasdair Cameron is a wildlife campaigner with Friends of the Earth.

Action

 

 




370112

Defying reality – Natural England authorises ‘unlawful’ cull Updated for 2026

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You have to hand it to Natural England. Their timing of their authorisation for 2014 badger cull was nothing short of extraordinary.

It comes just as the High Court ponders its judgment on the legality of the cull, following a Judicial Review hearing last week called by the Badger Trust.

It also pre-empts the outcome of a criminal investigation by Gloucestershire Police following serious revelations by a whistle-blowing monitor employed by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA).

As reported on 14th August by The Ecologist, the monitor revealed that last year’s pilot badger culls were not only badly organised – they were also full of dishonesty on the part of all those setting up and running the culls, and criminal behaviour on the part of the contractors doing the killing, seriously threatening the safety of the public.

Why the 2014 cull is unlawful

The Badger Trust set out a powerful case in the High Court last week, on 21st August, that any further culling must have independent monitoring and assessment, and would be unlawful in its absence.

This service was provided in the 2013 cull by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) – but Defra decided against asking them back this year. Instead, Defra has stated it will proceed with the culls without them, and that “lessons have been learned” – so no more monitoring is necessary.

How much time the Defra barrister had to present its defence is not clear. The hearing was scheduled to take a day and as this was just before a Bank Holiday weekend, no one would want it to run over time, including the man who has to decide on the case, Mr Justice Kenneth Parker.

During the morning session, it was clear that the Trust’s barrister was making extensive use of Defra’s own documentation on the culls. Was there anything left for Defra to use in its defence? And could any other facts affect the judgment that will come in due course? As it happened, yes.

The whistle blower report raises serious questions – and a criminal investigation

The very day after the High Court hearing the news was released that Gloucester Police were setting up a criminal investigation, following the claims made by the whistle-blower, more details of which are gradually being released.

If anything should demand proper independent monitoring, it is surely the kind of behaviour that the monitor reported to Defra, which appears to have taken little or no action over the claims.

The Badger Trust had written to Environment Secretary Liz Truss when the whistle-blower report first came out. Like everyone, they want some answers:

“As you will be aware, this article was based on information provided by a whistle blower who worked as a cull monitor for AHVLA during the 2013 pilot culls. It raises serious concerns about the behaviour of both badger cullers and AHVLA contractors, which call into question the safety of the cull as well as the monitoring of its effectiveness.

“We would be grateful if you could confirm if you were aware of these allegations and identify what steps Defra took at the time this information was provided to investigate, including whether it was passed to the Independent Expert Panel for consideration? Please also confirm what measures have been put in place to prevent any such occurrences happening again?”

The Trust is still waiting for answers, but Gloucester Police are finally taking some action over the public safety issue. What took them so long?

Only protestors were arrested – but none charged

Gloucester Against Badger Shooting (GABS) sent them a ‘specimen’ list of 26 incidents of wrongdoing by culling contractors in January.

The list details trespass, physical harassment of protesters (including at least one case of bodily injury) by contractors, and several firearms offences and gun licence infringements. Many of these were reported at the time of the offence to the police.

Gloucester Police did make 39 arrests during the cull, all of them involving protesters, none of whom ended up in court. The same unbalanced policing occurred in Somerset.

Were any contractors in either county arrested, questioned and charged? Not as far as we know. And serious questions have to be asked. As Dominic Dyer of the Badger Trust says:

“The AHVLA monitor provided a full report on the serious public safety breaches by the cull contractor to Defra in January and met with Defra officials to discuss its key findings.

“Did Owen Paterson see this report and if so why did he not bring it to the attention of the Independent Expert Panel and Parliament? Was it covered up to ensure the pilot culls could continue despite the serious risk to public safety?”

Anti-cull campaigners have often said that they feel the police were very uninformed over what contractors could or couldn’t do, what constituted ‘crimes’ and ‘offences’ and when they could, for instance, make arrests.

But as The Ecologist has made clear, this is a serious public safety issue, and one that needs to be urgently addressed before any more culling takes place.

SABC – police and Natural England must review the evidence

In their press release about the criminal investigation, Somerset Against the Badger Cull (SABC) say they are now asking both Avon and Somerset Police and Natural England to “review all the video, audio and written recordings from the AHVLA monitors from last year.” They feel, as many do, that the government is not to be trusted over the safety issue.

SABC “congratulates Gloucestershire police in taking this matter seriously and urges Avon and Somerset Constabulary to apply the same rigour before shooters such as these are let loose in our countryside again.”

Avon & Somerset have already announced that in future culls representatives of the National Farmers Union and the culling company HNV Associates Ltd will not be present in the police control room, something that caused outrage when it became known.

But it was one more sign that the setting up of the culls had been a shambles; that the people involved were poorly trained; that no proper safety assessments had been done; and very that little thought had been given to the role the police were expected to fulfil.

The police have failed – so far

The police are there to prevent crime, to investigate wrongdoing and arrest the perpetrators, and to protect the public from criminal behaviour.

They had been given so little information that they were unable to perform any of these duties during the cull. Adding to the problem they had received the impression (from both Defra, the NFU and the contracting companies) that anything the contractors did was lawful.

The second phase of the badger culls was supposed to have started this week. Things are on hold. The culls cannot be policed because of the NATO summit in Newport, which will require 9,000 of their officers to be on duty.

And will the government be foolhardy enough to go ahead without waiting for the result of the Judicial Review? Given their sheer arrogance, they may go ahead. But a wise man or woman, which the government apparently lacks, would wait.

And now Natural England gives the go-ahead

Surely now, before any further badger culling takes place, the issue of public safety must be faced and addressed by the government.

To have irresponsible gunmen, using high-powered rifles with bullets that can travel up to a mile with lethal effect and with little apparent knowledge of either our wildlife or the terrain within which they are operating, arrogantly bumbling out of control in the dark is simply not to be allowed.

Under such circumstances the police cannot ensure public safety and they need to make that clear to the government before someone gets shot.

And now that Natural England has issued its authorisations for the 2014 culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire, that could be sooner than we thought.

NE insists that Defra and the AHVLA have developed a robust monitoring regime. They appear not to have noticed that the whistle-blower was employed by the AHVLA.

To announce this just after the whistle-blower revelations; while the Judicial Review judgment is still to come; and when the police investigation has only just started demonstrates all too clearly how keen Natural England, Defra and their affiliates are to kill, regardless.

It’s enough to make me weep.

 

 

Lesley Docksey is a freelance writer who writes for The Ecologist on the badger cull and other environmental subjects.

See her other articles for The Ecologist.

 

 




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Defying reality – Natural England authorises ‘unlawful’ cull Updated for 2026

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You have to hand it to Natural England. Their timing of their authorisation for 2014 badger cull was nothing short of extraordinary.

It comes just as the High Court ponders its judgment on the legality of the cull, following a Judicial Review hearing last week called by the Badger Trust.

It also pre-empts the outcome of a criminal investigation by Gloucestershire Police following serious revelations by a whistle-blowing monitor employed by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA).

As reported on 14th August by The Ecologist, the monitor revealed that last year’s pilot badger culls were not only badly organised – they were also full of dishonesty on the part of all those setting up and running the culls, and criminal behaviour on the part of the contractors doing the killing, seriously threatening the safety of the public.

Why the 2014 cull is unlawful

The Badger Trust set out a powerful case in the High Court last week, on 21st August, that any further culling must have independent monitoring and assessment, and would be unlawful in its absence.

This service was provided in the 2013 cull by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) – but Defra decided against asking them back this year. Instead, Defra has stated it will proceed with the culls without them, and that “lessons have been learned” – so no more monitoring is necessary.

How much time the Defra barrister had to present its defence is not clear. The hearing was scheduled to take a day and as this was just before a Bank Holiday weekend, no one would want it to run over time, including the man who has to decide on the case, Mr Justice Kenneth Parker.

During the morning session, it was clear that the Trust’s barrister was making extensive use of Defra’s own documentation on the culls. Was there anything left for Defra to use in its defence? And could any other facts affect the judgment that will come in due course? As it happened, yes.

The whistle blower report raises serious questions – and a criminal investigation

The very day after the High Court hearing the news was released that Gloucester Police were setting up a criminal investigation, following the claims made by the whistle-blower, more details of which are gradually being released.

If anything should demand proper independent monitoring, it is surely the kind of behaviour that the monitor reported to Defra, which appears to have taken little or no action over the claims.

The Badger Trust had written to Environment Secretary Liz Truss when the whistle-blower report first came out. Like everyone, they want some answers:

“As you will be aware, this article was based on information provided by a whistle blower who worked as a cull monitor for AHVLA during the 2013 pilot culls. It raises serious concerns about the behaviour of both badger cullers and AHVLA contractors, which call into question the safety of the cull as well as the monitoring of its effectiveness.

“We would be grateful if you could confirm if you were aware of these allegations and identify what steps Defra took at the time this information was provided to investigate, including whether it was passed to the Independent Expert Panel for consideration? Please also confirm what measures have been put in place to prevent any such occurrences happening again?”

The Trust is still waiting for answers, but Gloucester Police are finally taking some action over the public safety issue. What took them so long?

Only protestors were arrested – but none charged

Gloucester Against Badger Shooting (GABS) sent them a ‘specimen’ list of 26 incidents of wrongdoing by culling contractors in January.

The list details trespass, physical harassment of protesters (including at least one case of bodily injury) by contractors, and several firearms offences and gun licence infringements. Many of these were reported at the time of the offence to the police.

Gloucester Police did make 39 arrests during the cull, all of them involving protesters, none of whom ended up in court. The same unbalanced policing occurred in Somerset.

Were any contractors in either county arrested, questioned and charged? Not as far as we know. And serious questions have to be asked. As Dominic Dyer of the Badger Trust says:

“The AHVLA monitor provided a full report on the serious public safety breaches by the cull contractor to Defra in January and met with Defra officials to discuss its key findings.

“Did Owen Paterson see this report and if so why did he not bring it to the attention of the Independent Expert Panel and Parliament? Was it covered up to ensure the pilot culls could continue despite the serious risk to public safety?”

Anti-cull campaigners have often said that they feel the police were very uninformed over what contractors could or couldn’t do, what constituted ‘crimes’ and ‘offences’ and when they could, for instance, make arrests.

But as The Ecologist has made clear, this is a serious public safety issue, and one that needs to be urgently addressed before any more culling takes place.

SABC – police and Natural England must review the evidence

In their press release about the criminal investigation, Somerset Against the Badger Cull (SABC) say they are now asking both Avon and Somerset Police and Natural England to “review all the video, audio and written recordings from the AHVLA monitors from last year.” They feel, as many do, that the government is not to be trusted over the safety issue.

SABC “congratulates Gloucestershire police in taking this matter seriously and urges Avon and Somerset Constabulary to apply the same rigour before shooters such as these are let loose in our countryside again.”

Avon & Somerset have already announced that in future culls representatives of the National Farmers Union and the culling company HNV Associates Ltd will not be present in the police control room, something that caused outrage when it became known.

But it was one more sign that the setting up of the culls had been a shambles; that the people involved were poorly trained; that no proper safety assessments had been done; and very that little thought had been given to the role the police were expected to fulfil.

The police have failed – so far

The police are there to prevent crime, to investigate wrongdoing and arrest the perpetrators, and to protect the public from criminal behaviour.

They had been given so little information that they were unable to perform any of these duties during the cull. Adding to the problem they had received the impression (from both Defra, the NFU and the contracting companies) that anything the contractors did was lawful.

The second phase of the badger culls was supposed to have started this week. Things are on hold. The culls cannot be policed because of the NATO summit in Newport, which will require 9,000 of their officers to be on duty.

And will the government be foolhardy enough to go ahead without waiting for the result of the Judicial Review? Given their sheer arrogance, they may go ahead. But a wise man or woman, which the government apparently lacks, would wait.

And now Natural England gives the go-ahead

Surely now, before any further badger culling takes place, the issue of public safety must be faced and addressed by the government.

To have irresponsible gunmen, using high-powered rifles with bullets that can travel up to a mile with lethal effect and with little apparent knowledge of either our wildlife or the terrain within which they are operating, arrogantly bumbling out of control in the dark is simply not to be allowed.

Under such circumstances the police cannot ensure public safety and they need to make that clear to the government before someone gets shot.

And now that Natural England has issued its authorisations for the 2014 culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire, that could be sooner than we thought.

NE insists that Defra and the AHVLA have developed a robust monitoring regime. They appear not to have noticed that the whistle-blower was employed by the AHVLA.

To announce this just after the whistle-blower revelations; while the Judicial Review judgment is still to come; and when the police investigation has only just started demonstrates all too clearly how keen Natural England, Defra and their affiliates are to kill, regardless.

It’s enough to make me weep.

 

 

Lesley Docksey is a freelance writer who writes for The Ecologist on the badger cull and other environmental subjects.

See her other articles for The Ecologist.

 

 




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