THE Devon Federation of Women s Institutes is campaigning for the humane culling of infected badgers.

THE Devon Federation of Women's Institutes is campaigning for the humane culling of infected badgers.

The group passed the resolution at its annual spring council meeting with an overwhelming majority.

The move comes following news that a great proportion of the badger population in parts of the UK, particularly in the South West, suffers from bovine TB.

County secretary Marcia Leach said: "The effect on the cattle in these areas, and the consequent catastrophic effect on farming, has long been recognised. But what has never been publicised is the suffering caused to badgers.

"They endure a long and painful decline into death from the disease, which can affect many organs of the body."

She added the proposed vaccination programme was not expected to be successful, particularly as many of the animals could already be diseased.

She said: "A badger already suffering will be further traumatised by trapping and injection, which will obviously be useless in preventing the spread of the disease by that badger.

"The cull of those infected setts in a humane and organised way would result, eventually, in a healthy future for the badger population.