INCREASING concerns about the spread of bovine TB were expressed at recent talks held by the West Devon and Torridge UK Independence Party. Former head of the Veterinary Investigation Service for Devon and Cornwall Dr John Gallagher spent 30 years studying the disease and was invited to speak to UKIP members at Lydford and Langtree. Chairman of the group George Mudge said the talks provided some major facts confirming the badger was ?the reservoir of infection.? ?Thousands of badgers in the West Country are subjected to horrendous pain and suffering as a result of the Government?s prevarication in culling the TB infected badgers,? he said. ?It takes from one to three years for the infected badgers to succumb to the disease and during that time they are spreading the TB to their badger family and also to cattle, deer and other animals.? He said the vast increase in the number of badgers was the main reason why the hedgehog population had declined by 30% in the last four years and why the numbers of ground nesting birds were also declining. ?Killing diseased badgers is kind not cruel,? added Mr Mudge. ?What we need is healthy badgers, healthy cattle and healthy wildlife. The sooner the infected badgers are culled the better for all animals in the countryside.?