Shropshire farmers welcome trial of badger cull
A trial cull of thousands of badgers will go ahead later this year after the Court of Appeal rejected a legal challenge from wildlife supporters.
The decision was today welcomed by Shropshire's farming union leader as the best way to fight the rise of tuberculosis in cattle, which cost taxpayers £100m last year.
Farmers say bovine TB is the biggest threat to the beef and dairy industries and they blame badgers for spreading the disease.
The Badger Trust challenged Government plans for two pilot culls in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset but the move was rejected yesterday at the Court of Appeal.
Star comment: Balance is needed in badger cull
The trust claims the cull will make no difference to the spread of TB while killing thousands of animals.
But Rob Alderson, chairman of the Shropshire branch of the National Farmers' Union, said he was 'relieved' by the court's decision.
The most recent figures available show that in 2010, some 2,165 Shropshire cattle were slaughtered to control the spread of the disease, compared to 473 in 2003.
Mr Alderson said: "We will now be able to start dealing with the problem of TB. It's more than proven that badgers have TB and for a species to have TB and to be able to roam around without any limitation is incredibly dangerous for all other species that live within their area.
"Until the badger population is clear of TB they are a danger to others."
The Badger Trust said it would not give up in its fight against the culls, which are expected to start this autumn and involve the killing of 6,800 badgers.
Queen guitarist Brian May is among the trust's supporters and yesterday took part in a rally in Bristol to launch a new national campaign called Stop the Cull.
He said: "What you've got to remember is that judges do not review the scientific evidence, they do not review the ethical considerations. All they do is look at the technicalities."
Mr May said farmers should instead be looking at vaccinating cattle.
