Badger culling is rumoured to be resuming in two 'trial areas' of the South West coming weeks, though a judicial review of Defra's intention not to allow independent oversight of the cull is ongoing.  

Although Defra and cull supporters maintain that culling is necessary to tackle the 'wildlife reservoir' of bovine TB, independent scientists have argued that evidence points to bTB being a cattle disease that has spilled out into wild animals.

Humane Society International, which opposes culling, this week urged Defra to expand its limited Badger Edge Vaccination Funding Scheme to high-risk areas in order to offer farmers "a genuinely effective, humane and science-led alternative to culling."

HSI pointed to comments made by the Chair of Natural England's Scientific Advisory Committee, David Macdonald, who described the culls as an "epic failure", and said the vast majority of independent scientists agree that a cull can make "no meaningful contribution" to controlling TB in cattle.

By contrast, the charity maintains, badger vaccination using the injectable BCG vaccine is a viable alternative, and Defra is promoting public funding for vaccination projects in the 'edge' area bordering the region worst affected by bovine TB in England. However, HSI has warned that preventing vaccination in 'high risk' bTB areas is reducing the impact of efforts to tackle the disease and feeding into "anti-vaccination rhetoric" form cull supporters.

No verdict has yet been reached in the ongoing High Court Challenge over cull monitoring. The Badger Trust, which launched the legal challenge in May, said earlier in the week that it did not expect a ruling right away from the review, which began on Thursday.

On the topic of vaccination, Mark Jones, a veterinarian and executive director of HSI UK said, "We're pleased that DEFRA has finally admitted that badger vaccination is a useful tool, but it will be too little too late unless ministers pull out all the stops to promote it to the very farmers they and the National Farmers Union have spent years trying to convince that badger vaccination is a waste of time."

"Ministers have downplayed the value of badger vaccination in recent years, in an attempt to boost support for a cull," Jones said, "and that negative messaging risks undermining the scheme even before it has begun. Farmers in these areas deserve a vaccination scheme or they’re being left high and dry. We know that indiscriminate culling of badgers won't be effective. Last year's cull was a waste of time, money and badgers' lives that Defra seems sadly determined to repeat this year."

The charity also said that anti-vaccination rhetoric and limiting vaccination programmes to edge areas – where enlisting volunteers may be a 'harder sell' – could limit the effectiveness of the scheme. As recently as 30 June 2014, former Defra Secretary Owen Paterson was quoted as saying, "We have tried vaccinations, but there is just not a vaccine for tuberculosis that works on badgers."

On Thursday, a Defra spokesperson responded that, "Vaccinating healthy badgers could play an important role in preventing the spread of bovine TB to new areas of the country. That is why we will shortly be launching a vaccination scheme to help create a buffer zone to stop the disease spreading."

"However," the spokesperson said, "Vaccination doesn’t cure infected badgers and stop them passing on TB. Overseas experience shows a comprehensive strategy that also includes cattle movement controls and continuing to cull badgers in areas where the disease is rife is likely to be most effective in moving to eradicate TB in England."

"Bovine TB is a problem created by the farming industry," said HSI's Jones. "So it's time for farmers to take ownership of effective and humane solutions to their problem... Improving farm biosecurity and restricting cattle movements are crucial, but badger vaccination is also a very useful tool, so we encourage landowners and farmers to get proactively involved and push Defra to expand its funding to include high risk areas."