Information Commissioner's Office

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

9 April 2015, Central government

The complainant has made a number of requests to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for information relating to the first wave of the pilot badger culls in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire. Defra responded by providing some parts of the requested information, withholding other parts or otherwise explaining that the requested information was not held. The present notice refers to Defra’s refusal to disclose the costs associated with the purchasing of badger cage traps under the ‘confidentiality of commercial or industrial information’ (regulation 12(5)(e)) exception in the EIR. The Commissioner’s decision is that the exception is not engaged. He therefore requires the requested cost information to be disclosed.

EIR 12(5)(e): Upheld