LOCAL farmers say the government has fudged a serious issue in deciding that a mass badger cull to prevent the spread of bovine TB will not go ahead.

The official announcement that there will be no cull was made on Monday, July 7, by Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

John Bishop of Cummins Farm in Colwall said: "The government has ducked the issue. It is a major issue and they have failed to grasp the nettle. This needs to be resolved.

"I wish there was a vaccination for cattle. It's impossible for fences to keep badgers off farm land."

He said that Cummins Farm has suffered from outbreaks of TB in cattle, but not for several years.

Mr Bishop added: "If you get a reaction the farm is just closed down.

"If you are producing cows and calves, you cannot sell those animals until you get a clear test, so there's the additional cost of feed."

Mr Bishop said the cost implications for farmers could be considerable.

In October last year, the Government's chief scientific advisor, Sir David King recommended that badgers should be killed in areas where there was "a high and persistent incidence of the disease in cattle".

Now this will not take place.

Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, president of the Country Land and Business Association said: "This is depressing news for farmers and landowners."

But Bosbury diary farmer John Baron, of Beacon Hill Farm, said he would not want to see a wholesale cull of badgers.

He said: "I think we need to keep the public on our side. This is about trying to find a compromise."

He called for "limited control and proper control".