THE badger cull looks set to continue in West Somerset for at least another two years after the Government claimed this year's cull was both effective and humane.

Environment Secretary Liz Truss said she was determined to press ahead with the cull after shooters hit their minimum target in West Somerset by killing 316 badgers.

Shooters in the second cull zone on Gloucestershire were way off their mark, killing 274 badgers against a minimum target of 615.

The Government blamed "extensive unlawful protest and intimidation" in Gloucestershire but said the West Somerset results proved culling worked.

Ms Truss said: "During the last Parliament, bovine TB rates in England soared to the highest in Europe.

"That is why we taking strong action in pursuing our comprehensive strategy, including tighter cattle movement controls, vaccinations and culling.

"The Chief Vet's advice is that results of this year's cull in Somerset show they can be effective.

"That is why I am determined to continue with a comprehensive strategy that includes culling."

She also announced further measures to combat bovine TB as part of a wider plan to beat the disease in England.

She said the Government would help farmers reduce the risk of disease spread on their farms and provide a new service giving bespoke veterinary advice on TB management to those in cull zones.

There were also plans to launch a consultation on a package of "tougher cattle measures" in the New Year.

But Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the Badger Trust, said the official Government report on this year's six-week cull painted "a picture of a disastrous policy which had clearly failed on scientific, economic and humaneness grounds".

He said the minimum kill target had been hit in West Somerset because it was "unbelievably easy" and claimed many badgers had still taken up to five minutes to die.

He said the vast majority of people in the UK wanted the Government to introduce more stringent cattle-based measures to control the spread of TB rather than shooting badgers.

"It's now time for the Government to admit it has got it wrong and bring an end to this disastrous cruel policy once and for all.

"It should now follow the example of Wales and introduce annual TB testing for cattle combined with tighter bio security and cattle control movements, with compliance linked to CAP single payments for farmers.

"This policy has delivered a 48 per cent drop in the number of cattle slaughtered for TB in Wales in the last five years without killing any badgers at all," Mr Dyer said.

Badgers can carry tuberculosis and many in the farming industry blame them for spreading the disease to cattle.

Opponents to the cull blame poor farm management for the spread of TB and say there is no scientific proof that killing badgers will curb the disease.

Questions were raised about the effectiveness of the first cull when shooters did not meet a lower, revised target for the number of badgers to be shot, despite the cull being extended to a total of nine weeks.

Some 940 animals were killed in the first year instead of the original target of 2,081 badgers, which was later revised down to 1,015 animals.

An independent panel of experts said the number of animals killed had fallen far short of what was required to ensure TB was not spread further by badgers disturbed by the culling and many

animals had not been killed humanely.

This year's cull took place without an independent panel of experts in place - a decision which was challenged by the Badger Trust in the courts.

The Government had originally said the pilot culls would test whether shooting free-running badgers was effective, humane and efficient.

Of the 341 killed in West Somerset, 147 were free-running, while more than half, 194, were shot after being cage-trapped.

In a statement issued last Thursday, Defra said "levels of humaneness and a high standard of public safety" had been maintained throughout both culls.

The Badger Trust said the Government was simply trying to "bury bad news" at Christmas time.