Timeline of a Badger U-turn that wasn’t (yet)

At 10.00 this morning we were preparing to sit down to talk badgers with Environment Secretary Owen Patterson.

15 mintues later DEFRA called. The interview was off: “something urgent” had come up. Oh well, these things happen and badgers have never been a black and white issue.

Yet 30 minutes later, an excited call from DEFRA. The interview was back on for lunchtime. Mr Patterson had a “major policy announcement”.

How exciting! What could it be? Final licenses for farmers to cull badgers were expected to be issued imminently by Natural England. Could it be the long-awaited green light for the shooting of badgers to begin?

I asked Natural England. No. Licenses were not about to be issued. Not a shot would be fired before the weekend.

So, I asked Defra: if it’s not a go-ahead for a cull, was it the oposite? “Yes,” I was told in no uncertain terms. A U-turn on a highly controversial policy was upon us.

It made some sense.

Scientists had written to the newspapers and given press briefings saying how the policy wouldn’t work. Opposition MPs had secured a potentially embarrassing debate on the issue in the commons scheduled for next week. Owen Patterson, new in post, didn’t want a half-baked policy to blow up in his face.

His predecessor Caroline Spellman was blamed for the total fiasco surounding proposals to privatise England’s trees. It got axed at the last minute.

Though committed to the badger policy it’s likely Patterson doesn’t want a badger to become his ministerial bête noir (et blanc).

Yet as we scrambled to find reaction from farmers who have worked long and hard to get the policy off the ground, and put up money to pay for the cull, DEFRA called again. The interview was off, again. Only this time, for the last time.

There was no major policy announcement. There never had been. The pilot of a badger cull would proceed as planned as soon as Natural England issue the final licenses.

Rumour and speculation abound about why a U-turn turned into a trip round a policy roundabout only to continue in the same direction. I understand financing the cull is not a problem for famers – there is widespread support and the weight of the NFU behind them.

A debate in the house of commons attacking the badger policy is scheduled for the end of next week. Though it does not bind the government in any way it could be embarrassing if a majority of MPs vote against the policy. It’s now far from clear when, or even if, there will be a decision to go ahead. It’s possible it might not come until after next week’s debate.

Whatever is the case, the cull, which seemed a near certainty 24 hours ago, is on very shaky ground indeed.

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