IF OTHERS, like me, are sickened by the Government plan to license farmers and landowners to carry out a wholesale, indiscriminate cull of our native badgers, they can take part in the Defra public consultation.

Responses must arrive by December 8 and can be sent by post to TBBC mailbox, c/o Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR, by e-mail to tbbc@defra.gsi.gov.uk or by fax to 0207 238 6431.

Apart from a welfare disaster (shooting free-running animals could lead to a slow, agonising death) the largest ever study into bovine TB by the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) found that killing badgers "can make no meaningful contribution to the control of bTB".

In fact it is more likely to make matters worse due to the "perturbation effect" – dispersal of infected badgers to other areas. Nor could such a cull be effectively monitored. Indeed, dead badgers will not even be checked for the disease!

Devon is at the centre of this outrage, so it is vital that we defend our wildlife. The Government must find a sustainable long-term solution, like vaccinating badgers, restricting cattle movements and improving the welfare of farmed cows.

Sharon L Howe

Fortescue Road, Sidmouth