THE Welsh Government decision that a cull on badgers should not proceed before further review of the evidence will make the position of Jim Plaice MP the Defra minister responsible for a similar decision, yet to be announced for England, next to impossible.

If the clear consensus is that it is not appropriate to proceed at this stage with a cull in Wales, how could it possibly be appropriate for such a cull to be authorised in England on the same insufficient evidence?

There will be howls of disgust from the pro-cull farmers as John Royle said (Farmers angry at badger cull delay, Echo, June 27) but a quiet sigh of relief from all of us quietly opposed to the cull.

The hunters' new bloodsport of shooting at free-running badgers will be set back for at least another year while scientists conduct yet more reviews of the evidence.

As the reviews proceed over the next year, the British and Welsh governments have ample opportunity to tighten up livestock movement controls and cattle testing, both of which have proven to be very effective ways of limiting the extent and the spreads of bovine TB. There would even be the time for the governments to fund vaccination schemes in hot-spot areas and to reduce the risk of perturbation of the badger population spreading the disease to new areas and to new herds. Extending the vaccination areas would also provide good evidence as to how successful a vaccination policy can be.

Kathy Moyle

Collins Park, East Budleigh