Legal fight ahead if badger cull rejected

STONELEIGH (Reuters) - Farmers said on Friday they would launch a legal challenge if the farm ministry rejected as expected next week a badger cull to help tackle bovine tuberculosis in cattle. Farm minister Hilary Benn told reporters he would announce a decision on Monday and the BBC reported the ministry was poised to reject a cull on badgers, a wildlife host of the disease. Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, said in a statement the farmers' group would seek immediate legal advice to challenge any negative ruling in court. "Last year saw 28,000 cattle culled with TB, and already in the first quarter of 2008 another 13,500 cattle have been lost. This sort of needless waste of productive animals ... calls into question the government's attitude not only to food security but also to animal welfare," he... [read full story]