ENVIRONMENT Secretary Hilary Benn this week announced a £20m plan to develop a vaccine to tackle Bovine TB.

The three-year programme aims to develop cattle and badger vaccines, following his decision to block any cull of badgers.

He said: "While such a cull might work, it might also not work. It could end up making the disease worse, if it was not sustained over time or delivered effectively, and public opposition, including the unwillingness of some landowners to take part, would render this more difficult."

However, he did not entirely rule out a cull.

He said: "We remain open to the possibility of revisiting this policy under exceptional circumstances, or if new scientific evidence were to become available."

Mr Benn said there would also be funding to set up a project to build confidence in badger vaccination to tackle bovine TB and to provide information which could help achieve the long-term goal of an oral badger vaccine.

He said a Bovine TB Partnership Group would be formed.

The National Beef Association remained "acutely disappointed"

by the no cull decision.

But chairman Duff Burrell said: "The formation of a new core group means that cattle farmers have still got a foot in Defra's negotiating door and must seize the chance to make the most use of it."

The NBA had been assured it would be told of the four tests which would have to be passed before badger culling could be approved.

In the meantime, it would continue to advance the "very strong arguments in favour of organised badger culling".

The NBA noted that Prof David King, the Government's former chief scientist, believed that postponing a cull was "a mistake".

Mr Burrell said: "Our principal worry is that Government is trying hard to avoid the political difficulties associated with killing badgers and as a result has decided that opting to cull badgers was a decision too difficult to make."

Greg Bliss, chairman of the Tenant Farmers' Association, said the Government's decision against a cull was a "spineless attempt to stop an unpopular Government's ratings from declining further in the eyes of the public".

He said: "I represent those in the farming community who do not own the land they farm or the houses they live in.

"Their livelihood is tied up in their livestock and it seems to us that the Government cares not a jot if they lose this livelihood because they lose their animals to TB."

Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said: "The CLA condemns this announcement and will now be looking to the Government to offer some additional support to those farmers affected, particularly in hot spot areas," he said.

● On Tuesday, dozens of farmers travelled to Westminster to protest against the Government's decision to block a badger cull.

NFU president Peter Kendall said the NFU would mount a legal challenge and withdraw from any talks on cost and responsibility- sharing to try and reverse the decision.