AN APPEAL to stop a cull of badgers in SouthWest Wales has been halted by court judges, leaving Woodchester the only trial zone in the country to prevent the spread of Bovine TB.
The announcement came after a successful campaign by the Badgers Trust claimed that there is no scientific evidence that relates badgers to the spread of TB among cattle.
Culling is an alternative to vaccination where the infected badgers are trapped in cages then shot.
The trial project to vaccinate badgers was initially planned for five other areas but was reduced to The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) in Woodchester near Stroud to save an estimated £6million.
The first badgers were captured and treated within 38.6 square miles of cattle farmland on July 5. Landowners in South West Wales where the cull of 1,500 badgers was halted felt that vaccination was the best option to control contamination.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here