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Long recovery from mass extinction seen
LONDON, March 11 (UPI) -- Badgers could face slaughter across southwest and central England if the government accedes to farmers' demands to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in cattle.
Campaigners against the cull fear that the Animal Welfare minister, Ben Bradshaw, will ignore "overwhelming scientific evidence" and widespread public opposition to the slaughter policy.
The first badgers could be snared or gassed in the summer, reported the London Independent.
Professor John Bourne, who led the eight-year field trial examining the effects of culling, said it would "inevitably lead to... an increase in disease incidence."
Bourne's fears were echoed by the chair of the government's own Science Advisory Council, Professor John Shepherd.
Opponents of the cull claim the disease is spread mainly as a result of the 14 million cattle movements in the Britain each year.
The National Farmers' Union has refused to accept the findings of the culling trial.
If the government does not act, farmers could take the law into their own hands to protect livestock, the newspaper said.
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