Badger culls are set to go ahead later this year
after final licence conditions were met, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson
has said.
The pilot culls, in Gloucestershire and West Somerset , were postponed amid fears they could not
be carried out effectively last autumn.
Ministers want to hold a pilot badger cull to halt
the spread of tuberculosis to cattle.
The RSPCA, which opposes the cull, said it wanted
to help fund vaccination.
Mr Paterson confirmed the cull at the National
Farmers Union (NFU) annual conference.
He also announced a reserve pilot will also be
prepared in Dorset .
Under the plans, badgers will be shot in the open
without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice.
'£1bn' cost
"I am determined that there are no further
delays this year," Mr Paterson said.
"That is why we have taken the sensible step
with the farming industry to elect a reserve area that can be called upon
should anything happen to prevent culling in Somerset
or Gloucester
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