Stamping out animal culling : from anthropocentrism to one health ethics

Research Areas: AgricultureSocial Sciences - Other Topics. Environmental Sciences ; Ecology History ; Philosophy of ScienceCulling is used in traditional public health policies to control animal populations. These policies aim primarily to protect human interests but often fail to provide sci‑ entifc evidence of efectiveness. In this article, we defend the need to move from a strictly anthropocentric approach to disease control towards a One Health ethics, using culling practices as an example. We focus on the recent badger culls in the UK, claiming that, based on data provided by the English Government, these culls may be unjustifed, all thing considered. We highlight the relevance of ethical reasoning rooted in One Health for this discussion, and make several suggestions including a moratorium on culling until data are provided to support the efectiveness of culling; to conduct a randomized trial to compare proactive culling with alternative methods; to apply deliberative democratic methods to assess public opinion towards the culls, and to fnd in Brexit an opportunity for aiming for more efective control measures.