STROUD has been chosen to host the only pilot project to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB.

It had been planned to run programmes in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Devon as well as Stroud but the project has fallen foul of the government cuts.

Agriculture Minister James Paice has told MPs that a will now only take place in Stroud.

Mr Paice said culling badgers was also being looked at.

The project is due to start in July and continue for five years, over which time the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said an estimated £6m will be saved.

Sett surveys A government spokesman said badgers are to be trapped and vaccinated over a 38.6 square miles of cattle farmland, and sett surveys will be carried out.

Badgers are blamed by many farmers for spreading TB, which affects cattle. Badger culling was ruled out by the previous government.

Mr Paice said: "We've committed to carefully-managed and science-led badger control as part of a package of measures, and we're looking carefully at badger vaccination and culling as part of that.

"It makes sense to review the badger vaccine deployment project to keep our options open and to ensure best possible use of taxpayers' money.

"By going ahead with the training in Stroud, we'll maintain capacity to train lay vaccinators while we consider how best to deploy vaccines as part of a badger control policy."