Paice badger cull remarks clarified by DEFRA

DEFRA has moved to clarify remarks made by farm minister Jim Paice which implied a badger cull in England was in doubt.

The remarks were made in an interview for the BBC Politics Show South West. The BBC reported Mr Paice as saying that there was a “question-mark at this moment” over a cull.

“We will be making our announcements about it in the not-too-distant future once we’re certain that – if we were to go ahead – we could resist the inevitable judicial review that would come,” the minister said.

“There has to be a question-mark at this moment in time until we make a final decision and an announcement,” he added.

After the programme a DEFRA spokesman was quick to insist the remarks did not mean the department had changed its policy and that no decision had been taken either way. The spokesman said a decision would be announced as soon as possible.