The government has confirmed that there will be no independent oversight of its second year of badger culling in the two pilot zones of Gloucestershire and Somerset.

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Responding to the delayed publication of findings by the Independent Expert Panel tasked with assessing the culls earlier this month, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) distanced itself from the controversial policy, which is supported by the government and NFU.

Although the architects of previous government culling trials have dismissed the current policy as "a costly distraction" from cattle-based measures to curb the disease, the BVA had previously stated its support for culling badgers as a means to tackle bovine TB in England. However, the Association's President Robin Hargreaves said on 17th April that, "BVA has always been clear that we could not support the roll out of controlled shooting as a method to cull badgers if it was found to be inhumane or ineffective."

"The IEP has made strong recommendations to Defra and we not only urge Defra to implement them all fully but will be looking for detailed assurances of how this will be done before deciding whether we could support the continuation," Hargreaves continued. "We also believe that robust monitoring and collation of results, and independent analysis and auditing by a non-governmental body is imperative."

On Wednesday, Farming minister George Eustice announced that, though Defra has committed itself to making improvements to the culls in line with the IEP's suggestions, there will be no independent body monitoring culling as it enters its second year. Eustice was responding to a parliamentary question by Shadow Environment Secretary Maria Eagle.

According to Defra sources, monitoring by cull licensing body Natural England and post-mortems conducted by Defra's animal health agency AHVLA will replace independent oversight.

On Wednesday, Maria Eagle commented, "An Independent Expert Panel said that the Tories' badger cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire was inhumane and ineffective in dealing with the problem of TB in cattle. Now ministers have confirmed that they will not allow further expert scrutiny of their disastrous policy when the cull resumes later this year.

"What do the Tories do if they don't like the independent scientific advice they get? Stop asking for advice. Working with wildlife groups, farmers and leading scientists, we need an alternative strategy that would focus on badger vaccination and enhanced cattle measures."

Anti-cull campaigners, including Dominic Dyer of the Badger Trust and Care for the Wild, have said the already unpopular cull policy has lost yet more ground since the IEP's findings were published and the government position was defeated by 220 votes to one in a backbench parliamentary vote last month. According to the Trust, the devolved governments of Wales and Northern Ireland have succeeded in reducing bTB without culling badgers. Cull opponents also suggest early indications that disease levels are falling in England are the result of stricter cattle measures demanded by the EU Commission.