NEWS that the badger cull will go ahead was not welcomed by all groups.

Whitland-based Mike Sharratt, of the badger group, Badger Watch and Rescue Dyfed, described it as extraordinary and branded it a disaster.

He added: "The extraordinary is that the consultation of the public in Wales put in place by the Minister Elin Jones on the badger cull, appears to have been totally ignored — it was four to one against a badger cull.

"She also seems to have ignored an amazing drop of bovine TB (bTB) in cattle — more than 40 per cent after new measures were put in place, which by the way we have been calling to be put in place for years and do not involve killing badgers.

Vaccination

"The disaster is that she appears to be ignoring what the top scientists, Independent Scientific Group said that badger culling cannot meaningfully contribute to the control of cattle TB in Britain.

"Scientists also made it very clear that the culling of badgers instead of vaccination could make bTB in cattle worse.

"After the consultation carried out by the minister there is no doubt that the majority of the public are now against a badger cull, therefore the Badger Group feels that candidates standing for election on May 5 should be asked whether or not they support the destruction of badgers and would allow that to take place against the public feeling."

The Badger Trust is taking legal advice about the measures proposed and the reasons given for the decision.

Celia Thomas, chairwoman of protest group Pembrokeshire Against the Cull (PAC) said: "This whole focus on culling deflects away from the ultimate solution, we have to be able to vaccinate cattle.

"It's very distressing for people to be told that the majority want this when we categorically know this is not the case.

"The first piece of legislation in the Assembly since the referendum is enforced access and the killing of wildlife.

"We certainly think we will be bringing a legal challenge ourselves, whether that's with the Badger Trust or alone as landowners we don't know yet.

"We've had a line drawn around us, that blights us. It means enforced access and shooting by masked gunmen that can come on to our land at any time and shoot badgers.

"Who on earth is going to want to come here on holiday and see that? I can't say there won't be protests, most of us have never campaigned for anything else in our lives.

"I can't see that the strength of feeling is going to go away. I can't see people sitting down quietly."

A public meeting was planned for April 8 in Newport.