In an attempt to stop bovine TB, Welsh lawmakers are trying to conduct a controlled shooting of 5,000 badgers-known as a cull-in Gloucestershire and Somerset counties.
But some farmers in the southwestern region are calling on the government to rethink their decision, citing an expensive and inhumane endeavor that may not even rid the area of sickness.
According to the BBC, the Welsh government usually favors vaccinating badgers over culling them, and has organized trial areas in south Wales.
They stated that a "sustainable and long-term approach" would be necessary to rid the ailing countryside of TB, which can be spread by the badgers.
Some farmers who have already been affected by TB in western Wales say that the culling has been a long time coming.
"It's something Welsh farmers have been calling for for 20 years, to control wildlife," dairy farmer in Pembrokeshire Steve James told BBC. "TB is a problem in cattle and we've had increased measures on us as farmers, as an industry, but each time nothing happens as far as wildlife is concerned.
"We will definitely be looking to put pressure on the Welsh government, particularly if it's shown that [culling badgers] is working in England," he stated.
Supporters of the culling are currently battling with the opposition on whether or not the controlled shooting actually works as a form of vaccination. But one thing's for sure: it's expensive.
During the Royal Welsh Show in July, Wales' senior vet said that badger vaccination costs more than £600 per animal.
Director of the Badger Trust Steve Clark maintains that the cull is "pointless", since many of the creatures aren't even carrying the disease.
"We suspect between 90 percent and 95 percent of badgers culled will not have TB but none of the carcasses will be examined to prove the point," he said. "We are grateful that the Welsh government ... has opted to pursue vaccination for badgers. We just hope that Westminster will look at the science in the same way rather than allow farmers to carry out a pointless cull."
