BADGER culls are to extended into five new areas of England in a bid to control the spread of bovine TB, according to the BBC.

Shooting in South Devon, North Devon, North Cornwall, West Dorset and South Herefordshire is expected to start in early September. The controversial culls are already taking place in Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset in a bid to control the disease.

The extensions have not been confirmed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which has told the BBC it is "currently considering applications for further badger control licences as part of the usual licensing processes."

However the BBC says it understands that "culling companies have already been selected and, marksmen trained for new locations."

The news has been welcomed by the president of the Country Landowners Association (CLA)

Ross Murray said: “We support the Government’s 25 year strategy for eradicating bovine TB. The badger cull is one important part of a comprehensive strategy which also includes pre and post movement testing of cattle, the removal and slaughter of infected animals and vaccination.

“Bovine TB is a devastating disease that is causing misery for dairy and livestock farmers across the countryside. It is vital that all those involved in the cull have the support of local people and law enforcement as they carry out this important task. We are grateful to all those that are taking part in this important effort and call on all those who value the English countryside to continue supporting our UK farmers and their herds.”

The British Veterinary Association also supported the move but said it did not support the continued use of controlled shooting as part of a badger control policy.

President Sean Wensley said: “The BVA recognises the need to control the wildlife reservoir of disease as part of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine TB. Therefore, control measures in cattle must be accompanied by simultaneous and coordinated control measures in badgers and susceptible farmed species.

“For these reasons, BVA supports the wider roll-out of culling to carefully selected areas where badgers are regarded as a significant contributor to the high incidence of bovine TB in cattle, through the use of cage trapping and shooting only; we do not support the continued use of controlled shooting as part of the badger control policy.”

However Jenny Pike, of campaign group Devon and Cornwall Against the Badger Cull, said only 6% of TB cases in cattle came through badgers and the government should focus on curbing cattle-to-cattle transmissions.

"It really is not a good use of taxpayer money, and it's going to cost thousands of badgers their lives for no benefit at all to farmers," she said.

Paul Wilkinson, head of living landscapes at The Wildlife Trusts, said: "The evidence shows that badgers are not the primary culprits in the spread of TB in cattle - the primary route of infection is via cow-to-cow contact. A vaccine for cattle should be a priority.

"Culling has been shown to be more expensive, less effective than other bovine TB control mechanisms and the free-shooting of badgers has been shown to be an inhumane method of killing."

British Veterinary Association comment on badger cull news reports

In March hundreds of protestors campaigned against the plans to introduce culling in Devon and a significant policing operation has been planned in case of disorder when culling begins in the new locations in September.