In the absence of such training and coordination, licenced culling would almost certainly be patchy, asynchronous, unsustained and uncoordinated, circumstances highly likely to prompt increases, rather than reductions, in the incidence of cattle TB [10], [15], [23], [24].
Natural England, which licences the culls under terms dictated by government, has already received dozens of applications for culls, should more be allowed.
He said the current licence to cull was "in form a new licence" which "appears to have been issued in conformity with the policy".
The licence to cull was last renewed by NE in 1999.
Under plans put out for consultation last year, farmers in England will be issued with licences to cull badgers, which can spread TB to livestock, in disease hotspots to help tackle spiralling rates of infection in cattle.
21 October 2012 The Badger Trust mounts a last-minute legal challenge over the validity of licences for culling.
It said the new licence allowed culling to continue and specified a minimum number of 165 badgers and a maximum number of 282 badgers "to deliver disease control benefits while reducing the risk of local extinction".
If, after a six-week period, these trials were shown to be effective in killing enough badgers, humane licences for culls would have been rolled out across parts of England.
Natural England (NE) will revoke the culling licence and the cull will end at noon on Saturday, three weeks earlier than planned.
Last month Natural England, which issues licences for the cull, granted an eight-week extension to the original six-week trial after marksmen failed to kill enough badgers.
