A VET has criticised what he believes is an ''orchestrated campaign'' to exonerate the badger from having a significant role in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle.

David Denny has blamed infected badgers for the transmission of TB.

The vet, of the DJB Denny surgery, in St John's, Worcester, said: "It is beyond all reasonable doubt that the badger is the reservoir of infection and is, by far the most significant factor in the TB saga."

Mr Denny argued that badgers could infect cattle in fields. He claimed that badger protection groups had sabotaged the Kreb's trial, set up to establish if culling badgers is an effective way to control bovine TB, by intimidation and the destruction of traps.

He said that there had been an explosion in the badger population. "Until the badgers are culled, the situation will only deteriorate," he said.

Mr Denny rejected the argument that infected cattle were responsible for transmitting the disease. He said that there have been incidences where animals from the same group as infected cattle were found to be free of TB, up to six months after those infected had been slaughtered.

Director of the Badger Trust Jack Reedy argued that the badger population has not significantly increased.

"We are a science-based organisation and do not in any way intimidate people or interfere with any scientific procedures, including the current Kreb's trial," he said.

"A report, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology this year, queries grounds that localised badger culling could reduce the risk of cattle TB infection, according to experimental culls over the time scale on which they were tested.

"Reports from the independent scientific group supervising the Kreb's trial have said that there can be no doubt that cattle movement is strongly implicated in the spread of bovine TB."

He added that badgers were territorial animals which stayed within a small area of land, compared with cattle, which are moved around the country.