North Devon could be one of the areas where hundreds of badgers will be shot by specially trained marksmen using night-sights starting possibly by next June.

Farmers fighting to save their businesses from the crippling effects of bovine TB are hoping the cull will go ahead as soon as possible.

"The disease is completely and utterly out of control," said farmer Paul Griffith of Northlew, who is a member of the Government's TB eradication group.

Badgers spread TB in their urine and saliva and have close contact with cattle.

Mr Griffith said that even if badgers were only 50 per cent responsible for transmission, killing cattle with the disease only eradicated half of it, and leaving badgers allowed it to carry on spreading.

But the group expects not only loud campaigning by anti-cull campaigners, but a judicial review, before even a trial cull can start.

It is not clear if North Devon will host one of the two trial areas where the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, has said she is considering controlled culling.

The areas have not been decided yet and could be anywhere in the TB hotspots which range south from Gloucesteshire, the worst affected county. Devon is next most seriously damaged by bovine TB.

The areas will be bounded by rivers, the sea and main roads, and the minister's announcement has triggered detailed discussion about how to take out the bulk of badgers in the two areas.

Mr Griffith said the proposed method of attracting and then shooting badgers with specially trained marksmen was untested, but was preferred to trapping because demonstrators would attempt to sabotage the traps and it was a more expensive process.

He added that there would be careful preparation for any shooting, with areas surveyed, mapped and badger numbers counted.

"But they will have to go in quickly and take out as many as possible to avoid badgers leaving the area and spreading TB even further," he said.

Campaigners against a cull believe it will not help and claim badgers are not responsible for spreading the disease.