A legal challenge against the issuance of badger culling licences has been granted permission to proceed in the High Court.
The judicial review will examine the lawfulness of 26 supplementary licences issued by Natural England, permitting farmers to cull badgers between June 1 and November 30, 2024.
The licences were granted by the previous Conservative government, but wildlife advocacy groups Badger Trust and Wild Justice argue that they were issued against the advice of Natural England's own director of science.
Applications for the licences were submitted in February 2024, and by April, Natural England's scientists concluded that after four years of culling, vaccination could now replace methods to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
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However, officials from the Defra warned that halting the culls could harm its relationship with the farming sector and ‘seriously undermine’ cooperation on disease control, according to both groups.
Following this advice, Natural England proceeded to issue the licences in May 2024.
Badger Trust and Wild Justice, represented by law firm Leigh Day, launched the legal challenge in August 2024. Following a recent renewal hearing in May 2025, the court has now granted permission for the claim to go forward on all grounds.
The legal grounds include Natural England's alleged misuse of its statutory powers by issuing licences to maintain the confidence of the farming community, rather than solely to prevent the spread of disease.
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It also includes an alleged failure to provide adequate reasoning for overriding scientific advice that found no need for further culling.
Nigel Palmer, CEO of Badger Trust, welcomed the decision: "This is a landmark decision that casts doubt on Natural England's ability to act in the interest of nature and wildlife.
“The 2024 supplementary cull licences should not have been issued against Natural England's own advice, leading to the death of thousands more badgers. This must mean the end of issuing any further badger cull licences in any part of England, and Badger Trust now calls on the government to end the culls now."
Chris Packham, co-director of Wild Justice, said: "The science says 'no', the chief scientist therefore said 'no', but DEFRA said 'yes', and thousands of badgers were unnecessarily and cruelly killed.
“It's despicable and we will demand justice and fully expose the truth about these agencies' weaknesses and abject disregard for ethical practices."
Badgers were identified as carriers of bTB in 1917, and the Badgers Act of 1973 allowed for farmers to be given licences to kill badgers on their own farms.
However, it wasn't until 1997 that a large-scale, scientific review of badger culling was completed. Since then, the debate over the effectiveness and ethics of badger culling has continued, with various studies and reports contributing to the ongoing discussion.
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