Badger petition handed in to Shropshire Council

More than 500 people have given their support to the on-going campaign by the Save The Shropshire Badger group, which yesterday gave its petition to members of the authority's environment scrutiny committee at Shirehall.

They are calling for an end to plans to resume shooting badgers to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis, after pilot culls last year were judged "ineffective" by independent experts.

The petition comes after it was announced that a vaccination programme will be trialled at six farms across Shropshire to halt the disease in cattle.

The farms have not been identified.

Bovine tuberculosis costs farmers millions of pounds each year. But the best way of controlling it has proved devisive.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has claimed that culling by shooting is quick and humane, but opponents say it is cruel and simply causes badgers to move to other areas.

Michelle Vaughn, from the Save the Shropshire Badgers group, was among those who handed in the petition.

She said: "Shropshire Council supports the vaccination programme in principle. This is our chance to strengthen our relationship with the rural community."

Jim Ashley, chairman of the group, said he was confident that vaccination was the way forward. "We are absolutely delighted that vaccination will take place across Shropshire," he said.

Some 32,000 cattle were slaughtered across Britain last year as a result of TB.

Some of the worst affected areas of Shropshire include Market Drayton and Ellesmere.