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| Badger cull to be extended into Dorset, government announces | Badger cull to be extended into Dorset, government announces |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The badger cull is to be extended into Dorset following pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset, the government has announced. | The badger cull is to be extended into Dorset following pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset, the government has announced. |
| Ministers and the National Farmers' Union (NFU) say culling badgers will curb tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, but protesters say it has little effect. | Ministers and the National Farmers' Union (NFU) say culling badgers will curb tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, but protesters say it has little effect. |
| Licences have been granted to allow six weeks of continuous culling in the three counties until 31 January. | Licences have been granted to allow six weeks of continuous culling in the three counties until 31 January. |
| Rock star and campaigner Brian May said he would fight the culls in court. | |
| His Save Me Trust trust confirmed the "lawfulness of the decisions to issue the licences will be challenged by a Judicial Review in the High Court". | |
| May, well-known for his anti-cull protesting, said: "We are all hugely disappointed that the government has decided to continue its cull policy, despite Natural England's scientific advisor branding the badger cull 'an epic failure'." | |
| He added: "The badger cull has been a disaster...worse still, it's certain that most of the murdered badgers are perfectly healthy, and free of bovine TB. | |
| "This awful policy must be put to bed now, in favour of a policy that really will address the TB problem in cattle." | |
| Wildlife TV broadcasters Chris Packham and Steve Backshall have also voiced opposition to the cull. | |
| Defending the move, farming minister George Eustice, said: "England has the highest incidence of TB in Europe and that is why we [are] taking strong action to deliver our 25-year strategy to eradicate the disease and protect the future of our dairy and beef industries. | |
| "This includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, vaccinating badgers in the buffer zone around high-risk areas and culling badgers where the disease is rife." | |
| The NFU has also welcomed the move but said it was "much slower progress than we wanted to see" and called for culling in more areas. | |
| Badger cull targets | Badger cull targets |
| Dorset - Minimum 615, maximum 835 | Dorset - Minimum 615, maximum 835 |
| Gloucestershire - Minimum 265, maximum 679 - last year minimum 615, maximum 1,091 (actual culled 274) | Gloucestershire - Minimum 265, maximum 679 - last year minimum 615, maximum 1,091 (actual culled 274) |
| Somerset - Minimum 55, maximum 524 - last year minimum 316, maximum 785 (actual culled 341) | Somerset - Minimum 55, maximum 524 - last year minimum 316, maximum 785 (actual culled 341) |
| Source: Natural England | Source: Natural England |
| Analysis of the 2013 pilot culls, commissioned by Defra and by an independent panel of experts, found shooting badgers was not effective. | Analysis of the 2013 pilot culls, commissioned by Defra and by an independent panel of experts, found shooting badgers was not effective. |
| Official figures showed it cost more than £3,300 for each badger that was killed during the cull in 2014. | Official figures showed it cost more than £3,300 for each badger that was killed during the cull in 2014. |
| Other plans announced by the government include a consultation on compulsory testing for cattle entering low-risk areas, such as the north and east of England, to reduce the risk of new TB cases. | Other plans announced by the government include a consultation on compulsory testing for cattle entering low-risk areas, such as the north and east of England, to reduce the risk of new TB cases. |
| Views will also be sought on controlling TB in non-bovine animals such as pigs, goats and deer. | Views will also be sought on controlling TB in non-bovine animals such as pigs, goats and deer. |
| The move to extend the cull to Dorset has been condemned by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. | The move to extend the cull to Dorset has been condemned by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. |
| Chief executive, Simon Cripps, said: "We are extremely disappointed because science has shown that culling is unlikely to work and will probably make matters worse. | Chief executive, Simon Cripps, said: "We are extremely disappointed because science has shown that culling is unlikely to work and will probably make matters worse. |
| "Scientific tests have shown that diseased and non-diseased badgers will move into areas that badgers have been removed from. So what you get is a stirring of the population and a potential increase in the disease. | "Scientific tests have shown that diseased and non-diseased badgers will move into areas that badgers have been removed from. So what you get is a stirring of the population and a potential increase in the disease. |
| "The best way to sort this out is bio-security, to manage your farm so that you keep badgers away from the cattle you feed. Some of the worst outbreaks are where bio-security isn't very good, that accounts for up to 60% of the problem." | "The best way to sort this out is bio-security, to manage your farm so that you keep badgers away from the cattle you feed. Some of the worst outbreaks are where bio-security isn't very good, that accounts for up to 60% of the problem." |
| A vaccination program has already started in a "buffer zone" around the cull areas but the government believes this alone is not enough and stronger measures are also needed. | A vaccination program has already started in a "buffer zone" around the cull areas but the government believes this alone is not enough and stronger measures are also needed. |
| Andy Foot, a beef and arable farmer at Bookham Farm, Buckland Newton, Dorset, said: "It is to be congratulated that we at last got it rolled out to at least another county. | Andy Foot, a beef and arable farmer at Bookham Farm, Buckland Newton, Dorset, said: "It is to be congratulated that we at last got it rolled out to at least another county. |
| "We have to get on top of this devastating disease that is killing so many cattle. | "We have to get on top of this devastating disease that is killing so many cattle. |
| "Yes do vaccination but in the correct area, where there is no disease. Vaccination will not work in an already infected animal." | "Yes do vaccination but in the correct area, where there is no disease. Vaccination will not work in an already infected animal." |