BADGER culling has been approved in seven new sites, including in Herefordshire, in a bid to help control tuberculosis in cattle.

Government documents reveal Natural England has licensed and approved seven new supplementary badger control areas to begin operations this year.

It has also authorised licence holders to resume operations in three existing supplementary badger control areas.

Culling operations are set to run from June 1 to January 31, and Natural England has confirmed the number of badgers licence holders can kill in each area, with a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 359 in Herefordshire.

In addition to Herefordshire, the new areas cover parts of Gloucestershire, Devon, Dorset and Cornwall.

Earlier this year, the government said they were making moves towards increased vaccination and move away from culls.

"As soon as possible, we intend to pilot badger vaccination in at least one area where the four-year cull cycle has concluded, with simultaneous surveillance of disease," the government said in response to the strategy review for achieving bovine tuberculosis free status for England.

"Our aim is to identify an exit strategy from culling in those areas that have completed the four years of intensive culling by deploying vaccination to the remaining badger population.

"While the government must retain the ability to introduce new cull zones where the disease is rife, our aim will be to allow future badger culls only where the epidemiological evidence points to a significant reservoir of the disease in badgers."

Government said they hoped to wind down the cull phase of the strategy by the mid to late 2020s.

Many people and organisations have spoken against the controversial cull, including Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, who said:

"Herefordshire Wildlife Trust is opposed to the indiscriminate culling of badgers.

"As a movement, the Wildlife Trusts are urging the Government to drop culling from its bTB strategy and prioritise badger vaccination, alongside a comprehensive package of cattle measures including improved TB testing and development of a cattle vaccine."