Badgers in the government's sniper sights again.

Despite the amazing success of the counter- mobilisation that saw this year's planned badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire cancelled in October DEFRA are already looking for new cull zones.

At the time DEFRA claimed that a last minute upward revision of the actual number of badgers in the killing zones made the cull impossible to push on with. But in reality public pressure, backed up with scientific evidence and the willingness of hundreds to take to the fields to prevent a wildlife massacre won the day.

Tory-boy Owen Paterson, blood-sports enthusiast ,and head of DEFRA has announced that he is determined to press ahead with a cull next summer. Now the National Farmers Union are looking for areas to volunteer themselves.

The problem they have is that 70% of farmers have to sign up and pay for the cull in any given area – something they signally failed to do in either of the two areas selected this year. Following campaigns by animal rights activists farmers who supported the cull were reluctant to have their details made public. Although DEFRA claimed that participating farmer's details would be kept secret a steady stream of leaks kept appearing on sites such as www.badger-killers.com further undermining confidence in the cull.One shooting estate in Gloucestershire whose involvement in the cull became public saw a pitch invasion of over a hundred hunt sabs on a potentially profitable Sunday.

SchNEWS spoke to one Brighton based pro-badger masked militant who said “Realistically the cull has to be in South Wales or the West Country because that's where the majority of the dairy herds are. They might think that by shifting the pilot zones they're going to be able to push this through but we'll be there”

For more on getting involved in fighting the badger cull www.badger-killers.co.uk