A HIGH Court challenge has been brought against extended badger culls across Dorset.

The culls were introduced in 2011 in a bid to reduce the spread of bovine TB, which results in the destruction of infected cattle herds.

Government guidance issued last year expanded the existing badger cull programme to new areas in England and allowed “supplementary culling”.

However campaigners claim they risk making the disease epidemic worse.

Tom Langton, an ecology consultant and member of the Badger Trust, is asking the court to quash both the Government’s policy and the licences issued under it by Natural England - arguing they are “unlawful”.

Mr Langton claims there is not enough scientific support for extending the culling and says the Government has not considered the ecological impact on widespread badger removal from the countryside.

Since the guidelines were issued, Natural England has issued licences for “supplementary culling” in Somerset and Gloucestershire and new licences for culling have been granted for parts of Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.

But Mr Langton’s lawyers told the court that the guidance issued last year was a “significant departure” from the Government’s previous policy on culling.

His barrister Richard Turney said: “It is aimed at maintaining rather than reducing the badger population, and it effectively enables lower-intensity culling to be continued over a significantly longer period than previously envisaged.

“It is to continue for five-year periods regardless of its efficacy - indeed, it will only be reviewed if the incidence of bovine TB ‘drops significantly’.”

The Government and Natural England are contesting the case.

Mr Justice Cranston is expected to give his ruling at a later date.