Farmers seek badger cull advice

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The National Farmers' Union is taking legal advice after the government decided against a cull of badgers in England to control TB in cattle.

Environment Minister Hilary Benn has refused to confirm a BBC report that ministers will reject recommendations made by a former chief adviser to cull.

The NFU said it would be "disastrous news...for farms devastated by TB" and had sought immediate legal advice.

Farmers have long called for a cull, but badger groups say it is not needed.

The government is due to officially announce its decision on Monday.

Some 4,000 herds were affected with TB in 2007, mainly in the south-west of England, which was up nearly 18% on the previous year.

Bovine TB is and remains a big problem and in the end we can only deal with it by working together Hilary BennEnvironment Secretary The NFU claims that if left unchecked, the disease would cost the government £1bn in compensation and control measures.

It said it would fight the government in the courts over the decision, and has instructed Richard Lissack QC to take on the case.

The BBC understands that ministers have rejected former chief scientific advisor Professor Sir David King's 2007 report and have instead accepted the scientific arguments of the Independent Scientific Group on TB in Cattle.

The ISG's analysis - an earlier and much larger study than Sir David's - concluded that culling badgers would not be economic.

'Ducked the issue'

In April a "targeted cull" of badgers was announced in Wales as part of a plan to eradicate TB in cattle.

NFU president Peter Kendall told BBC News that Westminster had "ducked the issue" and that the union would be organising a protest outside Parliament next week.

Mr Benn, speaking at the Royal Show in Warwickshire, refused to disclose the government's decision on Friday.

He expressed his concern about the problem and said finding an effective way to deal with it was vital.

He said: "Bovine TB is and remains a big problem and in the end we can only deal with it by working together.

"I want to find an effective way of dealing with it. I take this responsibility very seriously."

Mr Benn has said in the past that public acceptance would be a factor in determining the government's policy.

The decision was welcomed by prominent scientist Lord Krebs, who designed the experiments on the effectiveness of badger culling for the ISG.

"If this report [on the government's decision] is true then Hilary Benn has made the right decision," he said.

The ISG's analysis showed that sustained culling over a large area for five or six years might have some effect, "but even that is not clear-cut", according to Lord Krebs.

He said: "It's not practical to carry out that kind of scorched-earth cull over a prolonged period for a policy that may not even work."

According to Lord Krebs, the incidence of TB in cattle is increasing very slowly, and he believes that the disease could be brought under control through better surveillance and biosecurity.

Badger groups have fought a campaign against a mass cull.

Trevor Lawson, from the Badger Trust, said rejecting the idea of a badger cull would be the "right decision, based on sound science, which will allow farmers to move forwards in tackling this disease".