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I READ in your March edition about the repeated claim of the Badger Trust that cattle movements are responsible for the majority of bovine TB outbreaks.

The facts are that the main food of the badger is earth worms and they spend most of their time foraging in pasture for them. This is when a diseased badger leaves infected urine and sputum on the grass, which is taken up by cattle.

A badger with kidney lesions will excrete up to 3m units of bacterium in 1ml of urine.

MAFF advised me and other farmers to fence off badger setts and latrines to avoid infection from that area.

Years ago there were no badgers in this area and no TB. Now there are ten setts within one square mile, and many farms have had TB reactors. I lost several cows before I retired.

Since badgers have been a protected species they have had no predators and there has been a phenomenal increase in numbers. Most die of disease or on roads.

They are vicious, two recently attacked a dog when it was being taken for a walk near the entrance to the Keevil Airfield.

Bring on the cull, the sooner the better.

J W Banfield, Keevil, Trowbridge

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