Farmers and environmentalists will be given a say over plans to introduce a badger cull, farming minister Jim Paice has announced.

The Government has promised a public consultation over the issue, which has divided opinion across rural England.

Mr Paice also made a firm policy commitment to implement a badger cull in TB "hotspots" as part of a wider package of measures, expected to include at least part of the South West.

Westcountry cattle farmers are largely in favour of the cull, with badgers thought to be crucial in the spread of bovine TB. However, environmentalists and animal rights campaigners have routinely opposed plans for a cull.

Mr Paice made the announcement in a panel discussion at the CLA (Country Land and Business Association) Game Fair in Warwickshire at the weekend.

Ian Johnson, National Farmers' Union (NFU) spokesman for the South West, accused Mr Paice of sending "mixed messages".

He said: "On the one hand, Mr Paice is saying he's making a commitment (to carry out a trial cull) without giving the details of where. On the other hand, he is saying there will be a full consultation, which will flare up very strong public feeling."

The announcement came less than a fortnight after a Court of Appeal ruling prohibited a trial badger cull being carried out in Wales.

The Badger Trust appealed after a High Court judge upheld the Welsh Assembly Government's plans to trap and shoot badgers in west Wales.

It was among measures, including stricter controls on cattle, intended to eradicate bovine TB from north Pembrokeshire and neighbouring parts of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

Lord Justice Pill said the Welsh Assembly was wrong to make an order for the whole of Wales when it consulted on the basis of an Intensive Action Pilot Area, which only supported a cull on evidence within the area.

The minister did not confirm which areas would be considered for the target cull during his visit to Warwickshire, but Mr Johnson said he expected Devon to be among them.

He said: "Apart from Gloucestershire, there's no greater area where bovine TB is 'hotter' than Devon.

"But we need the facts. We need to know when, where, and how."

With the consultation likely to close towards the end of this year, experts say the earliest a cull in England could realistically start is May 2011, following badger breeding closed season.

Mr Paice had been working with the farming industry to develop the practical side of the policy while in opposition.

But he acknowledged there are still a number of issues to be resolved, such as how the culling is done and where it should take place.

Mr Paice also stressed the need to ensure plans for a cull are legally watertight, after Lord Justice Pill upheld an appeal by the Badger Trust against the Welsh Assembly's plans to trap and shoot badgers as part of a cull.

If the cull in England goes ahead, it is likely that farmers, or groups of farmers covering a designated area, will be required to apply for licences, under existing badger protection legislation. Farmers would pay contractors to carry out the work on their land.

The consultation will also discuss how additional cattle controls and vaccination could be also deployed as a means of tackling bovine TB.

A Defra spokesman said: "The Government has committed, as part of a package of measures, to develop affordable options for a carefully-managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of bovine TB.

"We are currently developing proposals which we plan to publish for public consultation in the autumn."

A spokesman for the RSCPA said it retained its opposition to the widespread culling of animals, but would not make any further comment until further details of the consultation were announced.