The Countryside Alliance has called on the BBC to sack the high-profile wildlife presenter and naturalist Chris Packham after he criticised leading conservation groups for sitting on the fence over fox hunting, badger culling and the plight of hen harriers.

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the alliance, which lobbies to promote the interests of rural people and communities, said Packham was pursuing “obsessive crusades” and that the BBC was printing “blatant political propaganda”.

Chris Packham slams 'shameful' silence of Britain's conservation charities Read more

Packham’s monthly column in BBC Wildlife magazine argued that conservation groups were “hamstrung by outdated liaisons with the ‘nasty brigade’ and can’t risk upsetting old friends” in the rural and shooting communities.

The RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, National Trust and others said Packham’s criticisms were baseless, and the Countryside Alliance went further. “There is no issue with people voicing such opinions, but using the position granted by a public service broadcaster to promote an extreme agenda is a different thing entirely,” Bonner wrote on the alliance’s website.

“This is the clearest possible abuse of the position the BBC has given Chris Packham and as it is an ongoing behaviour, rather than an isolated incident, it is difficult to see how the situation can change. If it does not then the BBC’s only answer can be to remove the BBC from Chris Packham’s biography [sic] by refusing to employ him any more.”



The magazine, produced under licence from the BBC by Immediate Media and obliged to follow BBC editorial guidelines, defended Packham strongly.

“The column was highlighting criminal activity. It was not controversial. He was saying that we all need to do more on the illegal killing of wildlife and that no one should be standing by when criminal acts [were taking place]. Packham was doing something of real value,” said editor Matt Swaine.

The Countryside Alliance has frequently criticised both Packham – who has presented Springwatch and the Really Wild Show – and the BBC. In 2013 it said the broadcaster was “neither fair nor balanced” on rural issues.

Bonner said: “A couple of years ago, the BBC did reprimand Packham for using ‘intemperate’ language when he used social media to describe farmers involved in the badger cull as ‘brutalist thugs, liars and frauds’, but he has continued to happily use the fame given to him by his work for the BBC to promote an increasingly extreme agenda.”

Packham is filming abroad and could not be reached for comment.