https://www.standard.co.uk/news/environment/government-defra-rspca-england-parliament-b1179286.html
A new strategy is being introduced to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.
I assume there is an alternative solution to TB spread, which takes some time to set up. Also, perhaps if you've contracted and legislated that culling is take place you can't easily revert that.
230,000 badgers have been pointlessly killed in the cull since 2013, despite Government data which found no evidence that culling badgers has had an effect on eliminating tuberculosis in cattle.
The government says the cull has no effect on bovine TB. Seems like killing thousands more animals for the sake of fulfilling a contract is kinda shitty, in my opinion.
Perhaps, but overall it's a more positive step than continuing indefinitely.
I was only speculating about why, I have no more information available than you. It could be for blood sport, but I think that is far less likely.
The debate around whether or not it has any effects is also fuelled by flawed conclusions on either side of the argument, I'm not wading into that mess...