Hidden camera footage shows a badger taking almost minute to die after being shot at close range while trapped in a cage.
This is the main method of killing badgers during a cull to prevent the spread of bovine TB, something farmers insist is necessary to protect their livestock.
Animal rights activists say it is inhumane and should be stopped.
The brutal slaughter of tens of thousands of badgers in the biggest destruction of a protected species in living memory is a national disgrace, Dominic Dyer, CEO of the Badger Trust, told the Observer who obtained the footage.
This war on wildlife has been carried out in secrecy by poorly paid contractors with no independent monitoring or concern for animal welfare or public safety.
The film footage that has emerged from Cumbria is the first time we have seen evidence of cull contractors at work.
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It clearly shows a badger taking over 50 seconds to die after being shot in a cage, and contractors removing it from the site without bagging and sealing the carcass in line with government TB biosecurity guidelines.
The footage was obtained by the Hunt Investigation Team filming undercover in Cumbria, and was released ahead of the Tory conference.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said: More than 33,000 cattle were slaughtered last year in England because of this devastating disease and more than 3,800 farms that had previously been clear of the disease were affected by it.
The NFU has always supported a comprehensive and proportionate eradication strategy, which balances disease-control measures with business sustainability.
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