YES, “it is a sad day for Dorset” (Echo, 29th of August).

But, a much sadder day for badgers.

Unless the “judicial review in the High Court” is successfully challenged – and this appears to be unlikely, the NFU and its members have got their way.

Badgers are now open season. And from June 1st to January 31st, “free range shooting” (presumably, that will mean every mean Tom, Dick and Harry farmer will be out and about shooting badgers at every opportunity?) is to be given the go-ahead.

But of course, not unlike the vivisection lobby who continue to deny animal experiments are necessary (but aren’t and never have been), the farming lobby continues to ignores the scientific evidence.

That killing badgers will not solve the TB problem. It won’t. A case of 'if you tell a lie long enough, more and more people (in this instance, farmers) will inevitably believe it'.

Oh well, maybe one day, when the badger is almost extinct and cattle are still being infected with TB, common sense might prevail.

Andrew Martin

Abbotsbury Road

Weymouth