A plethora of comment and reaction resulted from last week's announcement of the pilot cull. Here is what some of them said.

Harvey Locke, President of the British Veterinary Association: "We have long argued for a targeted, humane badger cull to be used alongside stricter cattle controls. We believe that failure to tackle wildlife sources of TB infection has prolonged the presence and enhanced the spread of infection in all affected species populations. We recognise that this is a very emotive and difficult decision, but we believe that the science supports this policy and we support Defra's commitment to tackling this devastating disease. We are particularly pleased that this announcement has not been delayed until after the summer recess."

John Fishwick, President of British Cattle Veterinary Association: "We welcome the announcement, which indicates that a humane and carefully targeted cull of badgers can contribute to the control of this dreadful disease. We are particularly pleased that the veterinary profession's concerns that any cull must be humane and well monitored appear to have been listened to. An industry-led cull will be an enormous undertaking for everyone involved and it is vital that we get the detail right from the outset – for the sake of cattle, wildlife and industry."

CLA President William Worsley: "This is the only way we can work towards the eradication of this horrendous disease. Badger culling, TB testing, cattle movement control and removal and slaughter of infected animals are all essential tools in the battle. We also need to work to ensure the difficulties with vaccinating both badgers and cattle are overcome. The Secretary of State is absolutely right to back a controlled cull, carried out by farmers and landowners, as part of a science-led, well-managed and sustained bTB control policy. Mrs Spelman's statement is courageous, signalling her intention to take a decision, undoubtedly unpopular in some quarters, for the good of the health and welfare of farmed animals and wildlife. If nothing were done, bovine TB would cost England more than £1 billion over the next decade with hundreds of thousands of cattle dying needlessly because of this terrible disease that should have been tackled."

Andrew George, MP for St Ives and the Liberal Democrat's agriculture spokesman: "This is an untried and untested method. Controlling the bovine TB epidemic is crucial for our farmers, however, this proposal seriously risks making the situation worse. I am not squeamish about culling badgers, if that is what needs to be done. I supported the badger culling trials in my own constituency in the late 1990s. I faced strong opposition at the time, but believed then, as I do now, that the proper and effective control of this terrible disease had to be science-based. But the scientists behind the extensive Government trials have criticised the policy, saying that it 'can hardly claim to be based on scientific evidence'. If the Government goes ahead with the pilots, they will have to make sure that they're thoroughly and rigorously evaluated before rolling the project out."

Viva! campaigns manager, Justin Kerswell: "If the Government was worried that a cull of badgers would result in a backlash, it was a concern well founded. People are angry that they have not been listened to; that the science that shows killing badgers will not halt the spread of TB has been ignored. And they are angry that the English Government's hired hit men are soon going to be riding roughshod over parts of the country gunning for wildlife. Most people are against the killing of badgers, but are unaware that what they put in their shopping baskets is driving this policy to annihilate wildlife. Without the dairy industry – and certainly an industry that is far more intensive than in the 1970s – badgers would not be in the firing line. Viva! will be calling for a boycott of English milk and all dairy products and will do everything we can to show the public the link between their daily pinta and the death sentence hanging over the country's wildlife."

Eunice Finney, Women's Food and Farming Union: "As wives, mothers and daughters we are concerned about the emotional strain TB is inflicting on farming families and the potential health problems related with the levels of stress, and also the associated risks with working with infected animals. We are concerned about the increased cases of TB being identified in other domestic species. As custodians of the countryside we are concerned for the welfare of the badger. We have no desire to eradicate badgers, but we believe that it is in their best interest to eradicate those infected with TB in order to protect the species. The badger is not an endangered species, but those infected with TB endure pain and stress in the final stages of the disease and die a horrible death. Ultimately, it is as much in the interest of the badger and the general public that bovine TB is eradicated as it is in the interest of the farmer. We would very much like to promote the return of a strong, healthy badger population."

Tenant Farmers' Association national chairman Jeremy Walker: "The impact of TB on farm businesses, farm families and rural communities continues to be devastating and I am glad that we can now begin to use control measures which do not involve having one arm tied behind our backs. We take no delight in the process of culling but truly believe that we have no other choice if we are to see bovine TB being brought under control and eradicated in the long-term. The quicker we get to a situation of maintaining a population of both healthy badgers and healthy cattle the better."

Ian Macalpine, of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers: "While we understand that there is a need for a final nine-week consultation, that period will create more time for those highly organised groups who oppose a badger cull to get their act together and attempt to delay or even prevent any further action. In fact they are already are acting. One organisation had launched a petition opposing the cull and achieved more than 15,000 signatures within 15 hours of Mrs Spelman's announcement. The industry must be aware that this consultation could not only stall Defra's proposals but completely stifle them."

Mel Stride, Conservative MP for Central Devon: "I wholeheartedly congratulate Caroline Spelman on her statement. It sometimes takes courage to do the right thing in politics – and she has shown that courage. My farmers will be eternally grateful for this decision. There is not a country in the world that has tackled bovine TB successfully without getting on top of the reservoir of that disease in the wildlife population."