THOUSANDS of badgers in Dorset are set to be culled to tackle a disease it spreads to cattle. 

Wildlife charity the Badger Trust said 2,169 badgers are “marked for slaughter” in the county as part of this year’s slaughter. 

Badgers also suffer from TB and are able to transmit the disease to cattle, according to the Dorset Wildlife Trust.

While farmers argue that the disease is costing them money from the cows having to be killed, the Badger Trust argues it is the fault of the cow. 

Peter Hambly, chief executive of Badger Trust, said: “It’s not the badgers’ fault; they are scapegoats for a failed policy to control England’s cattle-to-cattle spread disease problem.  

“This new government has the power to put that right. Over a decade of killing under the previous government has had little effect on the relentless spread of bovine TB in cows, and so this disastrous slaughter of protected badgers has to stop.” 

The trust is hosting a day of action against culling outside parliament on Tuesday, September 3.  

Labour has promised to work with farmers and scientists to eradicate bovine TB so it can end the “ineffective” badger cull 

But the announcement was met with criticism, including from the Countryside Alliance which said it could not make the move and then claim it respects the countryside”. 

Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said: “This is an unjustified and divisive attack on the rural community and one which is out of step with the public’s priorities for the countryside.” 

Badger culling is only legal if done in designated areas and with a licence. 

Police costs incurred for the badger cull in Dorset during 2023 amounted to £46,768, and the year before was £53,860, according to Defra. 

Badger culling is part of a Defra policy, licensed by Natural England, to carry out culls in selected rural areas to eradicate bovine tuberculosis by 2038. 

Mr Hambly added: “Local extinction events are happening right now in parts of England’s southwest as the hammering of the local badger population continues.  

“This mass killing is a threat to the existence of these protected native animals in our local areas.  

“The badger cull not only threatens the survival of the badger population, it disrupts the delicate balance of our ecosystems, leading to devastating long-term consequences for badgers and nature.”