Legal challenge to badger cull considered

The Badger Trust charity said it is "closely examining" the announcement this week that farmers could be licensed to cull badgers in hot spots of the Bovine Tuberculosis disease.

The charity said it was "extremely concerned at any proposal which could lead to free-running badgers being shot".

A badger cull in Yorkshire is extremely unlikely to take place. While some cases have been identified the region remains largely free of TB with no evidence of the disease infecting the county's wildlife population.

The proposals would only license a cull of badgers in areas with high levels of TB extending over 150 square kilometres and would be focused on the south and west of the country.