Nearly 65,000 badgers face being killed this autumn as the controversial cull is extended, the Government announced today. The annual countryside massacre is being widened to 11 more areas of England, meaning shooting of the creatures will take place in 44 areas across 17 counties.
Publishing its plans for this year's programme, Natural England, part of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, set a maximum target of slaughtering 64,657 of the animals.
Badger Trust chief executive Dominic Dyer said: “The decision to expand the badger cull is a huge betrayal of public trust by the Government. “Rather than phasing out the shooting of badgers in favour of vaccination, the Government is now embarking on a mass destruction of
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