MORE than 200 people packed a meeting to express their opposition to the cull of badgers planned for the Forest and other parts of Gloucestershire.

Queen guitarist and activist Brian May had to pull out of the meeting at Bell's Hotel in Coleford on Friday evening but sent a statement of support.

The meeting was called by campaign group Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting to oppose the cull which the government hopes will reduce bovine tuberculosis (bTB) on farms.

Mr May strongly supported calls by Forest-based dairy expert Steve Jones for improvements to the way in which cows are treated as a better way of tackling bTB.

He said: "There is every indication that better treatment of these animals who are effectively in service to the human race, would result in a healthy national herd, and that the spectre of bTB would recede, without the death of a single wild animal.

"As people who care about decency, and abhor needless cruelty, we must be ever more insistent that schemes such as this cull, which place no value whatsoever on the feelings and welfare of

animls who are not commercially exploitable, have no place in our modern world.  

"Most of us here would prefer to continue to enjoy dairy products, but not at the price of the death of thousands of innocent animals."

Mr Jones, who has worked with some of the most productive dairy herds in the world, said improved standards of hygiene and reducing stress on cows would be more effective in reducing bTB.

He said feeding troughs were often not cleaned making them "petri dishes" where harmful bacteria could multiply.

Mr Jones, who has farmed in English Bicknor, Mitcheldean and Newnham as well as Saudi Arabia, also warned healthy animals were more likely to be shot.

He said: "Healthy animals are likely to be shot because they will be out and that will leave the diseased animals to run and spread the disease."

Among the audience was Mr Alastair Fraser, who runs a llama-trekking business in the Forest.

He said: "I have a (badger) sett on my land. I don't want healthy animals being killed to allow diseased badgers to move in."

Chief executive of the RSPCA Gavin Grant said the cull "has nothing to do with the eradication of bovine tuberculosis."

He added: "Badgers will be slaughtered in their thousands and the vast majority will carry no disease.

"If the badgers are slaughtered we will not forgive and we will not forget."

There was a huge cheer when it was explained that the Welsh Government is undertaking a programme of cattle vaccination.

Ann Brummer of Brian May's charity Save Me urged people to sign the e-petition against the cull on the Downing Street website via "http://www">http://www. team badger. org. If it gets 100,000 signatures it will be debated in the House of Commons.