A WILDLIFE charity has urged the Government to “stop killing badgers” after it was announced culling of the animals would continue in Cumbria.

Culling was introduced in order to help stem the increase in numbers of cattle with bovine Tuberculosis (bTB), which they can get through contact with badgers. Licences are granted by Natural England.

Stephen Trotter, chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, which does not allow culling on its reserves, said: “No-one wants to see cattle herds being devastated by bTB but killing badgers will not solve the problem.

“Badgers are not the primary cause of the spread of bTB in cattle: the primary route of infection is cattle-to-cattle contact.

“The Government’s badger cull is flying in the face of science. It should be putting more resources into speeding up the development of an effective cattle vaccine, among other measures.”

Stuart Roberts, vice president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), stressed the importance of undertaking culling “in conjunction with all other disease control measures.”

He said: “More than 33,000 cattle were slaughtered last year in England because of this devastating disease and more than 3,800 farms that had previously been clear of the disease were affected by it.”

He added: “While any cull is regrettable, tackling the disease reservoir in wildlife quickly once it has been identified will reduce the chances of the disease spreading further and deliver health benefits for both cattle and wildlife in the long-term.”

In a blog post on the gov.uk website, Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said: “The approach adopted by ministers seeks to control a disease that has caused massive economic damage and widespread social impacts among farming communities.

“It embraces culling, but also includes badger vaccination and improved biosecurity to minimise cattle-to-cattle infections.”