THE Controversial badger cull has been given the green light and is set to be extended into Dorset, it was announced this earlier today (August 28).

The badger cull has brought about fierce division between those who believe it is a necessary process to reduce the risk of bovine tuberculosis which resulted in the slaughter of 26,000 cattle in England last year and those who believe it is inhumane and ineffective.

The government has sanctioned the badger cull for the third year running in West Somerset this autumn, with the previous two years resulting in the deaths of nearly 2,500 badgers at an estimated cost of £15m to the taxpayer.

According to figures from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), a minimum of 55 badgers need to be shot in West Somerset for the cull to be considered effective, a significant decrease on the 2014 target of 316.

Queen guitarist and anti-cull protester Brian May has confirmedthat the lawfulness of the decisions to issue the licences will be challenged by a Judicial Review in the High Court.

Dr May siad: "We are all hugely disappointed that the Government has decided to continue its cull policy, despite Natural England's Scientific Advisor branding the badger cull 'an epic failure’."

The legal action would be against Natural England, which issues the cull licences.

The Badger Trust has condemned the government’s decision to continue with the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset as ‘completely irrational’.

“These culls were sold to the public as an experiment to see if free-shooting badgers was humane and effective,” says the Badger Trust’s CEO, Dominic Dyer, “and on both counts they have comprehensively failed.”

He added that the government's Independent Expert Panel and now the British Veterinary Association have condemned free shooting as 'inhumane' .

Mr Dyer said there was a failure to achieve the minimum number of badgers killed in either annual cull in Gloucestershire and in Somerset the second year of culling achieved a much reduced target figure.

“However, the real scandal is that the vast majority of culled badgers will not have had bTB,” Mr Dyer said.

“The government has insisted that none of them are tested for the disease either before or after they are killed. This means the culling method is not only ‘blind’ but also that there is no way of ever knowing if it has worked."

However Meurig Raymond, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said that this cull would help thousands of farmers in their daily battle against the spread the disease.

"Bovine TB remains a huge problem for beef and dairy farmers across the South West, large parts of the Midlands and beyond.

“We are pleased that the Government is pressing ahead with its 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine TB. The NFU believes the strategy gives us the best chance of controlling and eradicating this devastating disease and it is vital it is implemented in full as quickly as possible."

In Dorset the minimum target is 615 and a maximum of 835, and Gloucestershire has a minimum of 265 with a maximum of 679.

A statement released by Natural England stated that the spread of bTb costs taxpayers £100m each year.

Farming minister George Eustace said: "“England has the highest incidence of TB in Europe and that is why we are taking strong action to deliver our 25-year strategy to eradicate the disease and protect the future of our dairy and beef industries."

John Mortimer, South West director for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said that controlling the badger population is a vital part of the Government’s comprehensive 25-year strategy for controlling bovine TB. We strongly support the decision to licence the culling of badgers in these three areas.

But Dr Toni Shephard, head of policy and research at the League Against Cruel Sports, described the cull as a huge waste of public money.

"It’s a death knell for common sense, as all the current evidence heavily suggests that bTB is predominantly spread between cattle, not from badgers to cattle."