THE Government is wrong to rule out a cull of badgers to deal with the spread of TB in cattle, respected former farming minister Jane Kennedy said last night.

The spread of the disease is "frightening", leaving farmers in "despair", Ms Kennedy warned, less than two weeks after quitting the Government in a row over Gordon Brown's leadership style.

Speaking to the Western Morning News, Ms Kennedy said ministers should "keep the door open" to a cull in areas like the Westcountry where the disease is rife.

Ms Kennedy became a popular figure at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during her nine months as farming minister which came to an abrupt halt when she refused to give her loyalty to Mr Brown.

But her decision to speak out on the controversial policy of dealing with tuberculosis in cattle herds – so soon after leaving office – will heap pressure on Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

He has repeatedly refused to countenance a cull of badgers, insisting science from the long-running Krebs trial proved that culling can make the situation worse. But Ms Kennedy told the WMN: "People keep saying to me that the science proved that culling badgers doesn't help. I think the science can be interpreted in many different ways.

"I think that the situation is changing. It changed over the nine months that I was there as minister. The rate of spread of the disease is frightening. Farmers are in despair. They feel unable to influence and prevent the disease and I believe we should not rule anything out.

"I think there are circumstances rapidly approaching where the Government ought to consider a request for a particular area or district to be allowed to deal with the wildlife as well as the cattle."

Asked if the South West – where the disease is rife – should be considered for a cull, she said: "I would leave it open to those who will know best what to do and where. But I think Government should keep the door open to that possibility."

A year ago the Welsh Assembly said a badger cull pilot zone would be set up in a bovine TB hot spot to help combat the spread of the disease in Wales.

Welsh rural affairs minister Elin Jones said she had given "due consideration to the divergence of scientific and political opinion" on the matter.

Ms Kennedy said the Welsh "has changed the complexion of the debate".

"I think it is therefore something that the Government needs to allow to be considered," she said.

She said Ms Jones "is very much focused on the need to deal with the disease in wildlife as well as cattle".

"Any reasonable person would accept that disease in wildlife presents a problem not just to livestock but for the species itself," said Ms Kennedy. "We should have the same degree of concern about wildlife as there is in cattle."

In November, Mr Benn launched his Bovine TB Eradication Group formed of industry figures, vets, animal health experts and officials from the Defra to work together on drawing up a strategy.

Ms Kennedy said the group has "a lot of faith pinned on it". "The farming community is counting on that group to come up with a solution," she said.

Her comments will increase pressure on Mr Benn at a time when opposition parties have also shifted their stance on the issue.

His Tory opponent, shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert, has said a Conservative government would back a targeted cull of infected badgers to tackle the disease.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg used a meeting with WMN readers last month to call for a targeted cull of badgers. In an apparent U-turn since dismissing calls for a cull a year ago, Mr Clegg said something must be done "irrespective" of advice from scientists or ministers.