2658. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify the statement in the Wildlife Unit End of Year Report for 2025 (details supplied); the substantive assessment CVERA undertakes; and whether the report will be corrected to accurately describe CVERA’s role. [59957/26]

My Department cannot cull badgers without either having an area of designated land for culling or a permit for culling approved. My Department makes an application to CVERA for a permit or for a spatial area around an infected fragment of land to be approved and issued to my Department by CVERA.

This means that my Department cannot generate permits or cull areas independently or without any oversight. While CVERA do not assess the eligibility criteria or epidemiological evidence they must assess each individual application to ensure that the setts and fragments selected are appropriate.

CVERA will not approve or issue a permit or designate an area for culling if fragments or setts are selected that do not meet the selection criteria. My Department cannot cull badgers without either approved permits or designations issued to them by CVERA. The Wildlife Report does not claim that CVERA carries out any eligibility, epidemiological or veterinary assessment of applications. The report correctly states that ”CVERA assess the applications and issue an end-dated permit”