Britain’s Prince Charles called for a badger cull and the protection of the Patagonian Toothfish in his ‘black spider’ letters.
The memos were passed between the 66-year-old royal and the British government between 2004 and 2005, and have finally been released following a £400,000, 10-year legal battle.
In one letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair, dated 24 February 2005, he wrote: "I do urge you to look again at introducing a proper cull of badgers where it is necessary. I, for one, cannot understand how the `badger lobby’ seem to mind not at all about the slaughter of thousands of expensive cattle, and yet object to a managed cull of an over-population of badgers – to me, this is intellectually dishonest."
Meanwhile, in another letter he voiced his opinions on illegal fishing, saying he believed it was in issue which should be "high on your list of priorities".
He wrote: "I particularly hope that the illegal fishing of the Patagonian Toothfish will be high on your list of priorities because until that trade is stopped, there is little hope for the poor old albatross, for which I shall continue to campaign."
Other issues highlighted by the Prince of Wales in the letters included the bureaucratic burdens facing farmers, the importance of sustainable meat production, the regeneration of historic buildings and the significance of herbal medicine.
Britain’s Prince Charles called for badger cull in ‘black spider’ letters
