text: The British Veterinary Association has withdrawn its support for the shooting of free-running badgers in controversial pilot culls. The two four-year pilot culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire should be completed by trapping the badgers in cages and then shooting them, says the BVA. It concluded that the first two years of culling had not demonstrated conclusively that ‘controlled shooting’ of free-running badgers could be effective and humane. The two four-year pilot culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire should be completed by trapping the badgers in cages and then shooting them, says the BVA . The BVA said it still supported badger culling to tackle tuberculosis in cattle. Animal welfare campaigners welcomed the news but said the BVA’s ongoing support for cage-trapping and shooting was ‘regrettable’. It comes after the Environment Secretary promised to roll out more culls across the country if the Tories win the election. Addressing the National Farmers Union conference in February, Liz Truss said 'any future Conservative government' would push ahead with 'a wider roll-out of the culls', which have been fiercely criticised by wildlife groups. Her comments came as NFU president Meurig Raymond said the incidence of TB had decreased on farms in two pilot areas in Somerset and Gloucestershire where culling of badgers has taken place over the last two years. The Environment Secretary promised to roll out more culls across the country if the Tories win the election . He urged politicians not to make the controversial cull 'a party political issue' in the run-up to the general election, and criticised Labour for pledging to give up on culling. Ms Truss pledged that any future Conservative government would 'take the difficult decisions to deal with this disease'. She told the conference: 'It is shameful that under the previous government bovine TB increased nine-fold and we ended up with the highest levels of the disease in Europe. 'It is incredible that they would like to make the same mistake again.' She said the Government's strategy included cattle movement controls, vaccination in 'edge' areas around disease hotspots, and culling where the disease is rife. 'We will not let up, whatever complaints we get from protest groups. We're in it for the long haul. We will not walk away,' she said to the conference, to applause from farmers. In Gloucestershire just 274 badgers were culled in the second year of the pilot, falling far short of the minimum 615 estimated to be needed to deliver reductions in TB in livestock, leading the chief vet to admit the benefits of the cull might not be realised there. The Government claimed the low numbers in Gloucestershire reflected the 'challenges of extensive unlawful protest and intimidation' by anti-cull campaigners. In Somerset, where the other pilot cull has been carried out, a sufficient number of badgers were killed this year to lead to expected reductions in TB in cattle, with 341 culled, in a required range of 316 to 785.
target: British Veterinary Association has withdrawn its support of pilot culls .
  Free-running badgers would be trapped and shot in controversial method .
  BVA said the scheme had not demonstrated it was effective and humane .
  But it says it still supports badger culling to tackle tuberculosis in cattle .