S E Wall, of Imperial Mews, Newton Abbot, writes:

In reference to the announcement that two pilot badger culls will be taking place later this year, I would like to add that although this year's trial culls are scheduled to take place in Somerset and Gloucestershire, if these are found to be successful ten further areas will be identified for culling in 2013 and in subsequent years. It is therefore vital that the local MPs support the council's decision to oppose a cull in the Bay area.

The pilot culls are purely target practice. They will not eradicate TB in cattle. The only way this can be achieved is through vaccination  and strict cattle-based measures. Seventy per cent of infection is through cattle to cattle transfer. Badgers are simply being used as a scapegoat, instead of tackling the real root of the problem. After the second world war the disease was brought under control through cattle-based measures alone and the majority scientific view is that it can and should be brought under control that way again.

The cull will be indiscriminate and nearly all the badgers killed will be perfectly healthy creatures, not infected with TB. Of those that are, very few would be able to actually pass the disease on.

The government's best estimates find that a cull could provide a 16 per cent reduction in bovine TB in ten years. That leaves 84 per cent of the problem still there. The Randomised Badger Culling Trial stated quite clearly that a badger cull would make no reasonable contribution to eradicating bovine TB. What's more, the proposed cull would be illegal under the European Bern Convention.

The only long term solution is cattle vaccination.

Public safety is also a concern. The proposed areas for the cull are large and so it is reasonable to assume that it will contain public rights of way.  But as the exact locations are, so far, being kept secret how can they guarantee the public's safety?

I am just as keen as anyone to see the disease brought under control but a badger cull is not going to achieve this.   

Therefore, I would urge readers to contact their MP and ask them to ask government what is being done to lobby Europe to allow a future cattle vaccine to be used? 

Also, sign the petition against the cull at http://www.38degrees.org.uk">www.38degrees.org.uk as it needs to reach 100,000 signatures before the subject can be debated in Parliament.THIS AND OTHER LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION