IN the feverish atmosphere currently surrounding the Government, news of another “U-turn” was bound to attract criticism.

However, this is not a change of policy, only a postponement. The culls will take place next year when all the parties involved in carrying them out are properly ready. They clearly are not now.

Because of the long-running debate about the efficacy of culling badgers in the battle against bovine TB, it is vital that the culls are carried in a scientifically-sound way. It is absolutely clear that the base numbers of badgers in the cull areas were widely out and if there was no confidence that the 70 per cent cull rate could be achieved, the culls simply could not go ahead.

The results of a botched cull would only serve to inflame the emotional debate about the issue and undermine the scientific argument about the best way to control this terrible disease.