Badger culling may increase spread of tuberculosis, say researchers

Culls cause badgers to roam further, potentially worsening risk of disease in cattle

Badgers start to roam much further afield when culling starts nearby, research has found, potentially increasing the spread of bovine tuberculosis, the disease culling is meant to control.

The findings raise questions about the government's culling strategy, begun in 2011 and intended to reduce the harm to dairy herds from a rising incidence of bovine TB in hotspots around the country. Last month the government announced a major extension.