Government commits to badger culls

The UK's Chief Vet has said something has to be done about bovine TB after the government affirmed its commitment to badger culling today.

Badger culls will go ahead as planned this autumn in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Nigel Gibbens says culling could be the right thing to do if done right:

Badger culls will go ahead as planned this autumn in Somerset and Gloucestershire as the Government affirms its committment to tackling the spread of TB in cattle. It says it can improve on last year's pilot culls whihc failed to meet targets.

Plans being considerd include increasing assessments on farm security to prevent badgers mixing with cattle and accessing feed, plus making it mandatory for all farmers to disclose their TB history to buyers.