The RSPCA has urged members of the public to lobby MPs in protest against the proposed badger cull in parts of England, which it believes will be given a green light in the coming weeks.

An RSPCA spokesperson said, “We're firmly opposed to any plans for a widespread cull, and believe now may be the last chance for those who agree to voice their views.”

Springwatch presenter Chris Packham, who recently became an RSPCA Vice President, has added his voice to this campaign, saying, “Now might be the last chance for people to tell the government what they think.” Packham believes badgers are, “fascinating creatures which I consider to be a quintessential part of our English countryside.”

If they go ahead, Defra plans would see the eradication of 70 per cent of the badger population in large parts of the country; farmers and landowners would be licensed to carry out and fund the cull themselves through a variety of methods including free-shooting.

The RSPCA has firmly opposed proposals for a cull, pointing out they were dismissed by previous governments. The society said plans would be unlikely to work and could have severe welfare implications, and that licensing farmers and landowners as suggested could be inhumane and near impossible to monitor.

Bovine TB currently affects the Midlands and south-west England. Incidence has increased dramatically since the 1980s. It affects dairy cattle at twice the rate of beef cattle, a fact that has led some to claim that the continued intensification of farming has resulted in less disease-resistant cattle, and exacerbated the continued increase of bTB.

The Wildlife Trust in Somerset, an area affected by bTB, has claimed that more could be done to improve biosecurity measures and testing, rather than resorting to a cull, which, echoing the RSPCA, it said could prove ineffective.

The Trust said in response to the Defra proposals, “Whilst the rate of bTB transmission between badgers and cattle is unknown, it is recognised that cattle to cattle transmission is the most significant factor in the spread of bTB amongst cattle.”