A PEACEFUL protest against badger culling greeted some goers to the Holsworthy and Stratton Agricultural Show last week — and this week Defra announced further measures to eradicate bovine TB.

On Tuesday, Defra announced seven additional licences for badger control measures covering parts of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.

Members of Devon and Cornwall Against the Badger Cull, with friends from other groups, handed out thousands of Badger Trust leaflets at the show last week, and expressed thanks to ‘those who stopped to talk to us and listened with an open mind’.

A representative from Devon and Cornwall Against the Badger Cull said: “Many of the show goers were more than happy to take them and many engaged us, offered their support, and gave us the thumbs up — including some farmers from the region.

“Some members of the pro cull community spoke to us and listened to what we had to say.”

It is uncertain where exactly in?Cornwall and Devon the licenses apply to — with some details in the licenses and authorisation letters on Natural England’s website omitted.

A spokesperson forNatural England said:?“Operations in these areas will be carried out under four-year licences which allow culling to take place every year between June 1 and January 31.

“Start dates for culling activity within this period will be decided by the licensed companies.”

Devon and Cornwall Against the Badger Cull believes the site of last week’s show is in what it describes as ‘the North Devon cull zone’. The group has published maps showing where it expects culls to take place — including North Cornwall and the area around the Devon Cornwall border.

Jenny Pike from the group said: “We are extremely concerned at the news last week that the badger cull could be coming to North and South Devon and Cornwall.

“Scientific research has shown that culling badgers is not the answer to the problem of TB in cattle and whilst we sympathise with farmers, we know that not only is it going to cost thousands of healthy badgers their lives; it will do nothing to help their desperate situation.

“There is evidence to suggest that despite three years of culling in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset, the number of cattle slaughtered due to TB has in fact gone up in all three areas.”

Following Tuesday’s announcement, farming minister George Eustice said: “Our comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England is delivering results, with more than half the country on track to be free of the disease by the end of this Parliament.

“Bovine TB has a devastating impact on farms, which is why we are taking strong action to eradicate the disease, including tighter cattle controls, improved biosecurity and badger control measures in areas where the disease is rife.

“The veterinary advice and the experience of other countries is clear—we will not be able to eradicate this disease unless we also tackle the reservoir of the disease in the badger population as well as cattle.”