CAMPAIGNERS have slammed the government for declaring this autumn’s badger cull a success and announcing it will be continued.

The Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) stated that the badger cull in Dorset, Gloucester and Somerset had achieved its targets, with environment secretary Elizabeth Truss labelling the scheme a success, and saying the results would allow the cull to be extended next year, and introduced into new counties.

The cull, which was introduced by the government in a bid to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (TB), proved incredibly controversial and now campaigners have called the government’s claims “scientific nonsense” and the cull a “disaster”.

Queen guitarist and Dorset landowner Brian May has been one of the most high profile campaigners, and has lobbied along with his own foundation the Save Me Trust to have the cull cancelled.

According to the trust, 756 badgers were killed in Dorset, with almost 1,500 killed in total across the three counties in autumn’s cull, with 4,000 killed since it was first introduced.

Brian May said: “We are all hugely disappointed that the government has decided to defend its cull policy, and use selected data to ‘justify’ further roll out.

“The badger cull has been a disaster and has cost British taxpayers over £5,000 per badger, worse still, with only 20 of 1467 animals tested this year, it is certain that most of the murdered badgers are perfectly healthy and free of bovine TB.

“The badger cull policy is a tragedy for our farmers, cattle and wildlife; the scientific advice has been ignored by ministers with more badgers now set to die next year.”

Anne Brummer, chief executive officer of the Save Me Trust, said: “It’s frightening that the Government, in cahoots with the NFU, would continue with this crazy and dangerous cull.

“History will look at this as agricultural disaster on an epic scale as the scientific world looks on incredulous and in horror at this policy.

“It is ineffective, unscientific, financially unviable and simply doesn’t work.”

The Dorset for Badger and Bovine Welfare Group, which also strongly objects to the cull, went out on night-time patrols around the county in the autumn to try and disturb the cull. The group said it also opposed the government’s statement.

Lesley Docksey, a member of the group, said: “They are claiming that by 2020 more than half of the country will be officially free of Bovine TB.

“Scotland has been officially free of BTB for quite some time and they have never had badger culling.

“Wales is on its way to being officially free and they made a decision not to cull badgers.

“All three counties (Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestshire) are very rural counties yet they are trying to claim that culling badgers on such a small percentage of land is going to stop the spreading elsewhere.

“ It’s scientific nonsense.”