The FOI Files: How we discovered 4 out of 5 culled badgers tested free of TB
An investigative report reveals that nearly 80% of badgers culled by the Irish Department of Agriculture between 2020 and 2025 tested negative for bovine tuberculosis. The findings raise questions about the efficacy and necessity of the state's badger culling program in managing the disease.
Why it matters
This highlights potential flaws in environmental policy and animal management strategies, impacting both farming livelihoods and wildlife conservation.
The FOI Files is a new series from our team at The Journal Investigates. Each week, one of our investigative journalists brings you inside the fight for information that we’re all entitled to. They’ll share their documents, their stories – and tips on how to take the journey for yourself.
This week’s file is from investigative journalist Patricia Devlin.
See here for The Journal Investigates’ most recent investigations.
THIS WEEK’S FOI file is technically not the result of an FOI request at all.
While strikingly similar, a request made under Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations is a separate legal route the public can take to obtain environmental information.
It works much like an FOI, but can be a stronger tool in environmental cases because refusals must be interpreted narrowly and weighed against the public interest in disclosure.
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