Badger cull is flawed and must now stop | Letter from Ranald Munro, John Bourne and others

As scientists with expertise in environmental issues, veterinary medicine, wildlife and livestock health and welfare, we are disappointed by the recent announcement that the government intends to allow the shooting of free-roaming badgers in Somerset and Gloucestershire to continue and to roll out its badger culling policy to Dorset (28 August, theguardian.com).

Bovine tuberculosis continues to represent a serious problem for UK farmers and demands an effective response by the farming industry and government. It is essential that the strategy employed to control the disease is cost-effective and ethical and, above all, supported by the best available evidence.