Licences and conditions relating to licensed actions on or around protected sites.
Natural England has authorised the licence holders to resume operations in 9 existing supplementary badger control areas in 2025. Licence holders met all the criteria specified in Defra's guidance to Natural England, dated May 2021.
Table 1: Supplementary control areas authorised in 2025
1 June is the earliest possible date for the start of operations and is the start of the open season.
| Area number and county | Minimum number | Maximum number | Authorisation date | Year of operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 45 - Derbyshire | 425 | 1675 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 46 - Gloucestershire | 54 | 284 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 47 - Herefordshire | 284 | 1236 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 48 - Leicestershire | 82 | 432 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 49 - Oxfordshire | 128 | 621 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 50 - Shropshire | 256 | 2382 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 51 - Somerset | 56 | 1746 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 52 - Warwickshire | 200 | 1044 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
| Area 53 - Wiltshire | 64 | 329 | 23 May 2025 | Year 2 |
The licence holder will decide the start date for control operations within this period. Licence holders carry out operations under a licence which allows badger control to take place in the licensed control area every year between 1 June and 31 January inclusive.
Natural England has confirmed to the licence holders the minimum and maximum numbers of badgers they can remove.
Protected sites listed in the Annex Bs are not necessarily part of any active operations. These can and will only occur on protected sites where the landowner or occupier has granted permission.
The licences only permit badger control to take place outside these closed seasons:
- controlled shooting - 1 February to 31 May
- cage-trapping and shooting - 1 December to 31 May
