A POSSIBLE badger cull in Dorset has been condemned by Dorset Wildlife Trust which is urging the government to put more effort into an effective vaccine for bovine TB (bTB).
Environment secretary Owen Paterson has announced the county is a reserve pilot cull area, in case of problems with either of the proposed culls in Gloucestershire or Somerset.
“We have a great deal of sympathy for farmers who lose stock as a result of bTB and are acutely aware of the problems this disease causes in Dorset,” said Simon Cripps, chief executive of the trust.
“However a badger cull is not the answer and is likely to make the problem worse by spreading the disease on to farms previously unaffected.”
The proposed cull area is being kept secret. The trust will not allow badger culling on its nature reserves and is currently planning to vaccinate the animals.
