I write in reply to Mike Fry's letter as I feel it is important to challenge his view that the current cull of badgers is justified.

Mr Fry claims because 81 per cent of the audience of a debate on the issue held at Cheltenham Science Festival voted in favour of the cull that this is, somehow, proof that those opposed are wrong!

One thing he is correct about however is that scientific opinion certainly differs – with the majority of the experts opposed to the shooting of badgers.

Not to mention respected naturalists such as Sir David Attenborough, Chris Packham, Simon King and Bill Oddie – these are hardly fanatical animal rights protestors but they are people who have far more of a knowledge of how the natural world works than either Mr Fry or I do.

Mr Fry is, however, certainly wrong when he states that: “the proposed trials do not rely solely on killing badgers. They include vaccination as well as improvements and biosecurity.” – if he is referring to the trials now in full swing in West Somerset then they are purely about shooting badgers, nothing more. They are a sham of science. DEFRA have surrounded themselves with a wall of silence and no wonder – this politically motivated disaster for our wildlife could well cost Owen Paterson his job.

Today it emerges that the lead scientist at Natural England is against extending the cull in Gloucester-surely now they must listen?

If they don’t Dorset is next in line.

Chris Kemp, address suppliied