The Independent reports that groups of farmers will be licensed to organise the widespread shooting of badgers in the West Country, the worst-affected region, where nearly a quarter of all cattle farms were hit by tuberculosis infections last year.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is expected to announce the pilot scheme measures in the House of Commons today following nearly 15 years of argument over links between badgers and the disease.
The paper states that if successful, it could lead to a potential cull of tens of thousands of badgers in a four year operation carried out at farmers' expense.
Michael McCarthy, the paper's environment editor says the long-awaited decision, which reverses the previous Labour government's policy, will be politically controversial and may even lead to problems of public order, with animal rights activists attempting to disrupt shoots.
Meanwhile, Prof Chris Gaskell has been named as the expert in who will chair an independent Welsh review of the evidence for eradicating bovine TB. A west Wales badger cull was put on hold in June as it was announced a panel would examine the science behind the issue.
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