HUMANE Society International has slammed the British Veterinary Association for publically supporting a second year of badger culling.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) issued a statement last week supporting a second year of badger culls, which Human Society International (HSI) has labelled as disastrous.

A report published by DEFRA in April found that the first year of culling failed to meet criteria for effectiveness and that the humaneness.

The BVA welcomed the report and called on Defra to implement all of the IEP’s recommendations for improvement fully.

Commenting, BVA President Robin Hargreaves said: “BVA has always maintained that we could only support the use of controlled shooting as a method to cull badgers if it was found to be humane, effective and safe.

“We supported the findings of the Independent Expert Panel and called on Defra to implement the recommendations fully.

“Culling remains a hugely emotive issue but we must tackle the disease in both cattle and wildlife. Scientific evidence supports the use of targeted, humane badger culling to achieve a reduction in the disease in cattle.”

Mark Jones, a veterinarian and executive director of Humane Society International, has disagreed with this stance very publicly.

Speaking for HSI he said: "BVA endorsement should symbolise integrity and the highest possible standards of animal care.

“Instead, it is being given away based on little more than DEFRA's flimsy promises of improved monitoring and half-baked measures on humaneness.

“The BVA does not speak for all vets in wanting to subject England's badgers to another round of unjustified, unscientific and unethical slaughter, but its support for a cull does paint our profession in a bad light.”