THE most recent badger cull in Somerset successfully met targets, Defra has announced.

341 badgers were killed during the cull that took place in September and October this year – surpassing the target set by Defra which was 316.

According to the figures released by Defra, 147 badgers were killed by controlled shooting and cage trapping killed 194.

The news comes as the figures released regarding the cull in Gloucestershire show that it failed to meet Defra’s minimum target of 615.

Cullers only managed to kill 247 badgers – less than half of the target.

The figures show that none of the badgers took more than five minutes to die, deeming the culls ‘humane’.

Both pilot culls in 2013 failed to meet the set targets.

The pilot culls have been taking place to test whether they effectively help stop the spreading of TB to cattle.

 

(Updated December 22, 2014)