A NEW study that could have ramifications for badger culling has found that Bovine TB is not passed on through direct contact with badgers.

The research was carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and found that while badgers do favour cattle pasture as a habitat, they typically avoid cattle themselves and rarely get close enough to transmit infection directly.

The ZSL team say this suggests that the infection is more likely to be transmitted from contamination of the two species shared habitat, rather than through direct contact.

The researchers used GPS collars and proximity-sensing collars to explore how closely badgers and cattle came into contact across 20 farms in Cornwall.

They found that badgers preferred to be at least 50 metres away from cattle.

Professor Rosie Woodroffe, who led the project said: “It has been known for a long time that badgers can transmit TB to cattle – but without knowing how they do it, it is hard to offer farmers advice on the most promising ways to protect their herds.

"Our study provides the strongest evidence yet that transmission is happening through the environment, helping to explain why controlling TB is so difficult.

"This work marks the first step towards identifying more effective ways to reduce transmission between badgers and cattle, and also potentially better ways to manage cattle-to-cattle transmission as well.”

Having identified the environment as the likely location of transmission, ZSL’s scientists are now conducting the next phase of research to identify where in the environment the disease bacteria are concentrated and encountered by badgers and cattle.

The Government is keen to proceed with the controversial badger cull which it says has been effective and is delivering results as part of a 25 year strategy to eradicate Bovine TB.

Dealing with the disease costs the taxpayer around £100 million a year and last 26,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in England to control the disease.

However opposition groups including the Badger Trust and Brian May's 'Save Me' trust argue that scientific research shows the cull is both cruel and ineffective.