The number of people prosecuted for cruelty to badgers has almost doubled in five years.
In 2007, 30 people were prosecuted in magistrates courts under the Protection of Badgers Act and by 2011 that figure had risen to 58, figures obtained through a parliamentary question reveal.
The number prosecuted for crimes such as badger baiting has increased each year with only a slight drop in 2010, to 48 from 50 in 2009, bucking the rising trend of cruelty cases.
Labour raised concerns that some campaigning in support of badger culling to tackle TB in cattle, which has culminated in the Government giving the go-ahead for two trial culls on Exmoor and in Gloucestershire this summer, could be contributing to cruelty against the animals.
Labour MP Diane Abbott, who obtained the figures, said the rise in numbers is "alarming" because she believes "this kind of cruelty is barbaric". She said: "We've got to send the message out that this kind of thing is wrong. The laws are clear so we need to talk about why these incidents are increasing. I'm concerned that there are gangs of people, sometimes with dogs, who think this is a macho thing to do. The problem is that some of campaigning on badger culling has given a green light to this kind attitude to our wildlife."
Labour opposes Government moves to press ahead with a badger cull, saying it will cost more than it saves, put a strain on the police and could actually spread TB in the short term as badgers move around more in response to culling.
But the Government says the cull of badgers, which spread TB to cattle herds, is needed as part of a "science-led" programme to tackle a disease which is devastating to farmers.
