On June 1, badgers out on their nightly forage for food in areas of the West Country will be shot.

Many of them will not be killed outright but be badly injured to crawl off and die a slow and painful death.

How can this be happening to one of the best-loved wild animals in the country?

It is because the Government is not listening to 70 per cent of people in this country who said in the Government’s online consultation that they did not support a cull.

They are not listening to the eminent scientists who say that this uncontrolled slaughter is not based on science and could make things worse.

They are listening instead to the vested interests of the NFU who, for years, have been perpetuating the myth that, if we kill badgers, we will eradicate bTB in this country

Badgers are not the source of the problem, but the scapegoat. The real answer is the vaccination of cattle and overcoming the legal and treaty impediments standing in the way of this.

Wales has opted for badger vaccination and has imposed a vigorous cattle testing regime and tighter cattle controls.

England could do the same and the vaccination of badgers has already started in some areas in this county.

E-mail David Cameron, camerond@parliament.uk, Nick Clegg, nick.clegg.mp@parliament.uk, The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson, patersono@parliament.uk and your MP asking them to stop this senseless slaughter. You could also sign the e-gov petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257

Please don’t let this happen.

JULIA HAMMETT
Oxfordshire Badger Group
Hurst Rise
Oxford