Plaid-Labour badger cull bungle cost £57,000

It was revealed last August that the legal cost of the Labour-Plaid Government's fight to challenges to its planned badger cull pilot was more than £57,000, with nearly £20,000 paid towards the Badger Trust’s costs.

The Labour-Plaid government’s badger cull order was overturned by the Court of Appeal as they said it was wrong to make an order for the whole of Wales when the Government consulted on the basis of an Intensive Action Pilot Area (IAPA) which only supported a cull on evidence within the IAPA.

The assembly government had to pay £57,000 for losing the legal challenges to its planned badger cull.

Matt Smith, Welsh Liberal Democrat Cardiff North Candidate said:
“The badger cull is a very sensitive issue for many people across Wales but what we are talking about here shows the incompetence and ineffectiveness of the Labour-Plaid government. They’ve spent millions on external legal advice but their order was overturned by the Court of Appeal. Not only is that embarrassing but it is also costly.

“The way the Rural Affairs Minister handled the whole order was shambolic, just like the Glastir agri-environemnt scheme she has bungled.

“The people of Wales can’t afford to be picking up the bill of the Labour-Plaid government’s incompetence and ineffectiveness like this.”