Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many separate contractors were employed in (1) Somerset, and (2) Gloucestershire in the recent badger culls; and how many people were actively engaged in culling in each county.

During the pilot badger culls of 2013, the number of contractors employed in Somerset was 107, and 95 in Gloucestershire.

As set out in the licences issued by Natural England to each area, the licensees were required to submit details of the persons they wished to be authorised to take or kill badgers. As such, a list of 107 such persons was provided for West Somerset and 95 provided for West Goucestershire. How many of these contractors were deployed or actively engaged in culling operations was and remains an operational matter for the licensees and, as such, this information is not available.