Table 1. Badger culling strategies used in the current bovine tuberculosis policy in England, the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, and hypothetical spatially targeted culling strategies used in this study.

Badger culling strategy	When used	Description
Pilot culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire	Current policy in England	Culling by industry in licenced areas. The terms of the licences require that culling be widespread and conducted over areas at least 150 km2; that at least 70% of the land should be accessible for culling; that an effective cull be carried out for a minimum of four years, and that the estimated badger population must be reduced by at least 70% in the first year of the cull [10].
Proactive culling	Randomised Badger Culling Trial	Annual repeated culling across all accessible land (approximately 100 km2) in each of ten trial areas [9].
Reactive culling	Randomised Badger Culling Trial	Local culling on or near farmland where recent cattle TB incidents had occurred within ten trial areas [9]. Average reactive culling procedure covered 5.3 km2.
Ring cull	Hypothetical design	Culling across land in circular areas of varying radii around cattle TB incidents.
Geographic profiling	Hypothetical design	Culling across land in areas identified by novel geographic profiling method as likely sources of bovine TB incidents.