HUNDREDS of protestors against the controversial badger cull are expected in Taunton on Saturday when the badger protection rally and march comes to the town.

The march comes as the cull, which started in 2013 in Somerset and Gloucestershire, is set to continue this year, and there are potential plans to roll it out to other parts of the country.

It has been organised by the Badger Trust and members of Somerset Against the Badger Cull and the Somerset Badger Patrol and will be the 30th protest march against the badger cull policy held across England over the last two years.

Staff and volunteers of the Somerset Wildlife Trust will be taking part in the march and has called upon its 18,000 strong-membership to join them.

Speakers will include anti-cull spokesperson Dominic Dyer, CEO of the Badger Trust, Mark Jones from the Born Free Foundation, Pauline Kidner from Secret World and Adrian Coward from the Somerset Badger Group.

Dominic Dyer said: “I’ve worked in the agriculture and food industry for most of my career and this is the worst agricultural policy I’ve seen in 30 years. I’m sympathetic to farmers, but culling badgers simply won’t work.

“Ordinary people from around the country have come out to protest against this barbaric cull, and we’re looking forward to seeing many of them come to Taunton on Saturday.

“The badger cull has been a complete disaster on scientific, cost and humaneness grounds.

“To date, two years of badger culling in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire has resulted in the death of 2,476 badgers at an estimated cost of £15 million pounds to the tax payer or £6,600 per badger, the most expensive wildlife cull of its kind on record.

“However the real scandal is that nearly all the badgers killed will not have bovine TB.

“Defra’s own data suggests 1.6% are capable of passing on the disease, whilst 85% are likely to have been completely bTB free.

“The government’s continued refusal to test badgers for TB not only makes this a ‘blind cull’ but also means we will never be able to say whether it has worked.”

Mark Jones added:“Badger culling has no scientific basis as a control measure for bovine TB and shooting badgers with rifles at night is inhumane.

“As a vet I cannot support a policy that will cause animal suffering with no clear benefit, especially when more humane alternatives, including cattle measures and vaccination exist.

“I will continue to urge my veterinary colleagues to reject badger culling and seek more humane methods of controlling bTB in cattle.”

The protest starts at 1pm at Vivary Park on Saturday.