Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Statement of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 811-2, on Bovine TB, who will provide training courses for those carrying out a badger cull; and whether additional courses will be provided on (a) the physiology of badgers and (b) any health and safety requirements.
Answer
[holding answer 6 September 2011]: To obtain a licence to carry out culling operators would be required to demonstrate competence and attend a Government-approved training course. This badger-specific course would include training to cover anatomical and behavioural characteristics of badgers and how these differ from other species, as well as health, safety and security aspects. Additional marksmanship training and assessment would be required for those who may have experience but no formal qualification such as Deer Stalking Certificate or equivalent.The farming industry would be expected to design, organise and deliver these training courses. We expect Government will incur some modest costs relating to the approval and auditing of these courses, which will be met from existing resources.