The badger cull could be extended to five new areas this autumn the BBC reports.

Shooting of badgers is set to begin in early September in South Devon, North Devon, North Cornwall, West Dorset, and South Herefordshire, according to information leaked to the BBC.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) would not confirm the reports; a spokesperson told the BBC that the department is "currently considering applications for further badger control licences as part of the usual licensing process”.

Natural England made an idential statement in response to a request for comment from Farming Online. The cull licensing body said there is no set date for when the outcome of the badger control licence applications will be announced. Even so, BBC understands that culling companies have already been selected and markspeople trained for the new locations.

Andrea Leadsom, the environment secretary, is expected to approve farmers’ requests for the right to shoot thousands more badgers despite claims by wildlife groups and independent scientists that the cull is ineffective and inhumane.

Earlier in the month, Defra-funded research showed that badgers and cattle virtually never come into direct contact in the field. The researchers behind the work said their findings suggest advice to farmers on controlling bTB may require a rethink and “[pave] the way for novel approaches to managing this controversial disease.”