BADGER culls could be coming to the South Hams – if pilot schemes are successful, according to a senior police officer.

Devon and Cornwall Police have been working closely with the Avon and Somerset force as they plan to police the expected cull in the area.

At last week's meeting of the Devon and Cornwall Police Authority, Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton was asked when any cull might come into force in the area. He explained that it is dependent on the success of the two pilot schemes in Gloucestershire and West Somerset saying: 'They will then make a decision on how far they roll it out.

'The next proposed culls will be in the South Hams, and other bits of Devon, but we have to see how successful these culls are.'

MP Gary Streeter said: 'This is just speculation at this stage, but I support the cull and hope the pilots are successful and the scheme is rolled out in TB hot spot areas at the earliest opportunity.

'Our dairy farmers urgently need relief from the scourge of TB.'

The NFU say that farmers are standing firm behind the government's TB eradication policy, which will incl-ude pilot badger culls, despite increased har-assment from animal rights activists.

NFU President Peter Kendall said: 'I want to get one thing clear for those who think the tactics of harassment and intimidation from animal rights activists are winning the day.

'Farmers remain committed to helping government deliver on its TB eradication programme that will reduce TB in both cattle and badgers.

'No one wants to cull badgers but we simply can't go on while TB increases its vice-like grip on our family farms. In 1998 less than 6,000 cows were culled because they had TB, in 2011 it was more than 34,000. And every single one of those cows was culled to prevent them passing the disease on. It's a fact that TB exists in wildlife and no amount of culling of cattle will ever control this disease while there are still badgers spreading it further.'

The proposed cull pilots due to take place this autumn are targeting two specific hotspot areas where the incidence of TB in wildlife is persistent and high in the South West, with the possibility of further culls in other hotspot areas in the coming years. Most of England is TB free and there are no plans to carry out culls of badgers in areas where there is no TB.

The Government's TB eradication programme also includes vaccination, which is being used as part of the package of measures to control the spread of TB.

But it is not an option in those hotspot areas because vaccine alone cannot cure an infected animal.

A spokesman from the Devon Wildlife Trust said: 'Devon Wildlife Trust and the wider Wildlife Trust movement are very conscious of the hardship that bovine TB causes in the farming community and the need to act to effectively control the disease. Indeed, it is an issue that has directly affected DWT's own livestock animals and our landholdings in the recent past.

'We believe that the answers to this problem lie both in biosecurity and vaccination, and that these twin measures should be at the centre of efforts to tackle this disease.'

The RSPCA is calling on the UK Government to reconsider plans to kill badgers in England after a petition against it reached a landmark figure.

The e-petition launched by the Stop the Cull campaign has reached 100,000 signatures in just two weeks – which means the government has to now consider giving the issue parliamentary time. Chief Executive Gavin Grant said: 'This campaign is gathering an incredible momentum – the number of signatures has doubled since last Wednesday. It could end up being the biggest e-petition ever.

'The speed of this growth shows the scale of public interest in this issue - the UK Government must now listen to what the public are saying and give this matter some parliamentary time.

'It needs to look at this science and reverse this short-sighted decision immediately to one of vaccination – let's cure and not kill.

'Thank you to everybody who has supported this campaign and I urge anyone who agrees with us and hasn't yet signed the e-petition to please do so today.'