BADGER culling has started for a second year in Gloucestershire and Somerset as part of Defra's bid to eradicate bovine TB.

In announcing the resumption of the two pilot culls, Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: "At present we have the highest rates of bovine TB in Europe. Doing nothing is not an option and that is why we are taking a responsible approach to dealing with bovine TB."

Last year 26,000 cattle were slaughtered in England because of bovine TB.

Last year the culls failed to kill the 70 per cent of the badger population thought necessary to be effective, despite a five week extension in Gloucestershire and a three week extension in Somerset.

In Somerset, 940 badgers, 65 per cent of the population, were killed and in Gloucestershire 921, less than 40 per cent.

This year the companies carrying out the culls will have to kill a minimum of 316 badgers to a maximum of 785 in Somerset and 615 badgers to a maximum of 1,091 in Gloucestershire, in a six-week period.

In a letter to members, Meurig Raymond, NFU president, said: "No one would choose to kill badgers if there was an effective alternative in areas where TB is rife. But if were ever going to get on top of bovine TB in areas where the disease is endemic, there is no other choice."

However, Dominic Dyer of the Badger Trust and Care for the Wild, said: "These culls are ill-conceived and incompetently managed, and will contribute nothing to reducing bovine TB in cattle."

Government agencies Natural England and the Animal Health And Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) will monitor the culls to ensure they meet the terms of the licences and are humane.