CHESHIRE Wildlife Trust say they are ‘hugely disappointed’ the Government has given the green light to the culling of thousands of badgers.

On Saturday, a trial badger cull attempting to humanely shoot healthy badgers officially began in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

The cull aims to reduce bovine tuberculosis in cattle by killing infected badgers in order to stop the disease spreading further.

Ministers claim tuberculosis in cattle could spread to humans unless bold action is taken to curb the disease.

And if last week’s culls are deemed to be humane, efficient and safe, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson plans to extend them to a further 40 zones over the next four years, meaning it could potentially affect cattle in Cheshire as up to 100,000 badgers are killed.

But Cheshire Wildlife Trust, who are staunchly opposed to the culls, have argued that killing badgers is an ineffective way of reducing TB in cattle, and say the focus should be on vaccinating cattle as a means of tackling the disease.

Charlotte Harris, chief executive of Cheshire Wildlife Trust said: “We remain hugely disappointed at the Government’s ongoing commitment to culling as way of breaking the TB link in cattle.

“From next week we will be continuing our own alternative bTB badger vaccination programme on a 280ha farm in South Cheshire – one of five private farms added this summer to our own sites – and part of a wider 4,000ha area we have identified for vaccination programmes in the region.

“This has been supported by nearly £20,000 of donations from the public.”

She added: “Should the Government’s culling programme be extended elsewhere in the UK, we will remain resolute in our own efforts to demonstrate that vaccination is scientifically viable, and most crucially, a long-term part of the package of solutions needed to tackle bTB in cattle.

“Along with all other county Wildlife Trusts across the UK, culling will never be sanctioned on any Cheshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve.”

But an NFU North West spokesman said: “Culls will only ever be carried out in areas where TB is endemic and will never be carried out nationwide.

“In 2012 there were 116 TB breakdowns in Cheshire compared with 91 in 2011 and just over 700 cattle slaughtered last year.

“In 2005 there were 35 TB incidents and 228 cattle were slaughtered so although the problem in the county is clearly getting worse, thankfully there is no evidence of wildlife infection.

“The policy of culling south of the country is to make sure it stays that way.”

A Defra spokesman added: “We are confident that controlled shooting will be an effective and humane shooting method, given its widespread use in other species.

“Operators will be required to follow best-practice guidance, have undertaken training and competence testing and there will be careful monitoring via field observations and post mortems.

“The humaneness of the pilots will be monitored through field observations and post mortems and a report will be drawn up by the independent panel at the end of the cull.”