Badger Trust, formerly the National Federation of Badger Groups (NFBG), is an animal welfare charity operating in England and Wales. It represents around fifty local badger groups dedicated to the conservation and protection of the

European badger The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to Europe and West Asia and parts of Central Asia. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List, as it has a w ...

. It states that it is the leading voice for badgers and that its charitable aim is to promote and enhance the welfare, conservation and protection of badgers, their setts and their habitats. Badger Trust campaigns against

badger culling in the United Kingdom Badger culling in the United Kingdom is permitted under licence, within a set area and timescale, as a way to reduce badger numbers in the hope of controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Humans can catch bTB, but public health con ...

. It does this through a variety of methods including reports, presentations and local activity. It has also filed legal challenges in the High Court against planned badger culls, challenging a planned cull in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in 2010. Badger Trust won a halt to the Welsh cull. There has never been a badger cull in Wales as a result, which means England is the only home nation to cull badgers - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not. Badger Trust has taken the

UK government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

to international court under the

Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the '' de facto'' capital of Switzerland, referred to as the " federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has governmental i ...

on animal welfare grounds and the threat of local extinction of badgers due to the high culling rate. The case is ongoing. To date, (up to January 2024), 230,000 badgers have been culled, representing around half of the badger population. In 2024 Badger Trust produced a comprehensive report on bovineTB, with input from Professor David Macdonald, outlining the lack of evidence that badgers were a primary cause. The group has issued reports about illegal snaring and hunting of badgers in Britain. Badger Trust sees campaigning around crimes against badgers as a key area of focus and has called for increased sentences to five years, in line with crimes against domestic animals. In August 2024 Badger Trust launched a legal case against

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

, an organisation led by

Tony Juniper Anthony Juniper (born 24 September 1960) is a British campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser and environmentalist who served as Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. He was Vice Chair of Friends ...

, for going against its own scientific advice and licensing a badger cull in the summer of 2024 aiming to kill around 30,000 more badgers. "Farming UK" 8 August 2024 Anti-cull campaigners launch legal challen

/ref> Badger Trust is carrying out a national survey of badger numbers, in light of the drop in population due to badger culling, "State of the Badger" Report. Trials started in 2024 in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, with a planned roll out throughout England and Wales in 2025-26. Local Badger Groups are the direct action side of the Badger Trust. There are around 50 local voluntary Badger Groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland a similar role to Badger Trust is played by Scottish Badgers.

References

External links

Official website
{{Animal welfare Animal welfare organisations based in the United Kingdom Badgers Wildlife Trusts of the United Kingdom