A Pembrokeshire protest group set up to oppose the Welsh Assembly badger cull will hold a public meeting tonight (Monday) at Castell Malgwyn, Llechryd.

Pembrokeshire Against the Cull (PAC) has invited speakers, including Dr Rosie Woodroffe, to speak at this evening's event.

Dr Woodroffe is a member of the Independent Science Group which designed, oversaw and reported on the former randomised badger culling trial.

She is also one of the authors of a recently published report following up on the longer term impact of culling.

The first stage of another opposition group's legal challenge concluded last Tuesday.

The Badger Trust’s judicial review of the Welsh Assembly Government’s decision to include a badger cull in its programme to eradicate bovine TB was heard at the High Court, Swansea, last week.

Mr Justice Lloyd-Jones is due to deliver his judgment either before the end of the legal term next Wednesday (March 31st) or at some point in the first half of April.

Judgment is likely to be handed down in the High Court in London and Wales simultaneously.

David Williams, chairman of the trust, said: “We know the costs of this action will run into many tens of thousands of pounds, but, whatever the outcome, this was one challenge the trust simply had to take up. And as the only national organisation solely concerned with the welfare of the badger it had to do so on its own.

“Legal action is expensive, unpredictable and time consuming, but to have failed to fight this battle when the law provided the opportunity would have been a terrible dereliction of our commitment to conserve and protect badgers.

"Once the decision to cull had been made the only option remaining was to try to get the measure quashed on the grounds that it was unlawful, and only the High Court could do that”.

He added that many of the arguments raised by the trust during the review would have given Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones and her team food for thought and that he hoped this would improve the decision-making process in the future, regardless of the outcome of this case.

Tonight's Pembrokeshire Against the Cull meeting will start at 7:30pm, all are welcome to attend.