A VETERINARY nurse from Bewdley is campaigning against Government proposals for a mass badger cull as it bids to halt the spread of TB in cattle.

The disease is endemic in parts of Great Britain and is rife in the countryside around Pensax - where eight cows at Lower Snead Farm were recently destroyed after testing positive for bovine TB.

Emily George - who has been passionate about badgers all her life - said, however, a cull would be inhumane and would not solve the problem.

Badgers are a protected species and Miss George is promoting the anti-culling Black and White Campaign, set up by Wildlife Aid, Care for the Wild International and Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

It has also attracted backing from celebrities, including Virginia McKenna, Chris Tarrant and Alan Titchmarsh.

"There is no evidence that a cull will help control the spread of the disease - in fact it may make it worse, because you can't tell whether you are destroying healthy or infected badgers," said Miss George.

"You may get a situation where you eradicate a healthy group of badgers and then an infected group moves in."

The 25-year-old, of Belvedere Crescent, wants to see more done to improve the reliability of tests carried out on cattle, to reduce the amount of cattle movements around the country and to develop a TB vaccine for cattle and badgers.

She said anyone wishing to support the campaign should log on to www.blackandwhite.

info where they could register their opposition before the Government's consultation period ends on Friday, March 10.

Meanwhile, a petition organised by the Pensax farmers hit by bovine TB has, so far, attracted several hundred signatures, calling for better testing, along with measures to stop the spread of the disease from wildlife.