Badgers and the law
The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 makes it an offence to wilfully:
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Take, injure or kill a badger;
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Cruelly ill-treat a badger;
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Interfere with a badger sett;
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Selling or being in possession of a live badger; and
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Marking or ringing a badger.
A person convicted of an offence or offences under the terms of the Act:
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is liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months per offence, and or a fine not exceeding level 5 (approx £5000).
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will have any badger, skin, and if the court sees fit, any weapon or article used in committing the offence forfeited
Any dog used in committing an offence may be destroyed, and the offender disqualified from having custody of a dog, and made to pay for the dogs destruction.
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Section 11 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the taking and killing wild animals either by means of:
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snaring;
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shooting; and
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poisoning
Badgers are listed on Schedule 6 of the Act.
No badger culling in Wales
Responding to a question from Janet Finch-Saunders, MS (Con) Aberconwy, who after meeting with farmers called for the introduction of mass culling of badgers, Mark Drakeford said the reason for the increase was the actions of farmers themselves.
He further stated that the problem was caused by lax biosecurity: ‘the importation of TB by farmers buying infected cattle, and bringing them into the area. That is the single greatest reason why low incidence areas have moved up a very sad hierarchy.’