Hundreds of people have marched through Taunton to protest against the culling of badgers in Somerset.

The march was organised by Somerset Against the Badger Cull, The Badger Trust,  and the Somerset Badger Patrol.

Adrian Coward of Somerset Badger Patrol speaks to Taunton badger cull protesters.

The government has sanctioned culls in a bid to stop the spread of bovine TB, however an Independent Expert Panel appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found that pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset pilots were "inhumane and ineffective".

TB in livestock saw more than 26,000 cattle being slaughtered in England last year.

It is thought that only 4-6% of badgers carry TB and many argue that the badgers should be vaccinated rather than shot.

Pauline Kidner, of Secret World Wildlife Rescue, cited the findings of an Independent Expert Panel appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) which described the cull as ‘inhumane and ineffective’.

"The main reason we are against the badger cull is simply that all the science available tells us that it is a waste of time and money,” she said.

However James Small, the chairman of Somerset NFU, said that farmers were ‘anti-TB, not anti-badger’, as bTB leads to thousands of cattle being slaughtered each year and multi-million pound losses for the industry.

“From a farmer’s point of view, they want their stock to be healthy and happy.  It is difficult for farmers to always have this always hanging over you. You always worry every time just in case a result comes back positive.”

No start date has been set for the cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire .

Somerset County Gazette:

Somerset County Gazette:

Somerset County Gazette: