[Ammi]

A pilot badger cull in parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset is under way, the NFU has confirmed.

The controlled shooting of 5,000 badgers is due to take place over a six-week period in an attempt to control Bovine TB in cattle.

Supporters say the cull is necessary to tackle TB, which can be spread from infected badgers, but opponents say it is inhumane and ineffective.

The environment secretary said the pilot culls were "so important".

In a letter to members, National Farmers' Union President Peter Kendall said: "I am writing to let you know that the first pilot badger control operations have begun.

"This is an important step not just for cattle farmers but for the whole farming industry.

"I know that many of you reading this will have suffered the misery of dealing with TB on farm - some of you for decades - and I hope now you will feel that something is finally being done to stem the cycle of infection between cattle and badgers.

"I hope that when time shows that these culls have reduced TB in cattle - just as has happened in Ireland - that even more people will understand that while sad, these culls are absolutely necessary."

Following the NFU announcement, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: "Bovine TB is an infectious disease that is spreading across the country and devastating our cattle and dairy industries.

"We know that despite the strict controls we already have in place, we won't get on top of this terrible disease until we start dealing with the infection in badgers as well as in cattle. That's the clear lesson from Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and the USA.

"That is why these pilot culls are so important. We have to use every tool in the box because TB is so difficult to eradicate and it is spreading rapidly.

"If we had a workable vaccine we would use it."

Police officers were earlier sent to parts of Gloucestershire to "provide reassurance" after speculation the cull was imminent.

The cull will involve the animals being shot in the open by marksmen using high-velocity rifles. The badgers will not be trapped in cages first