The RSPCA has come under fire over an advertising campaign appealing to the Government not to introduce a cull of badgers in a bid to eradicate bovine TB.

Herefordshire farmer David Morgan accused the charity of being selective in its concern in the newspaper advertising campaign, which depicts a pointing badger, with the words "we need you" - a take on the wartime Lord Kitchener poster.

Mr Morgan, regional livestock board chairman for NFU West Midlands, said the RSPCA was turning a blind eye to the welfare of tens of thousands of cattle by resist-ing action to deal with the disease in wildlife.

And he stressed that the problem was continuing to spread, with cattle in four of the West Midlands' five counties being either slaughtered prematurely or subjected to near intolerable levels of stress caused by almost continual testing. He added: "It appears that where animal welfare is concerned, the RSPCA regards some animals as more equal than others.

"Not only that, but the organisation is calling for a course of action that can only result in TB spreading still further through not only the badger population but many other species, including deer and even domestic cats and dogs."

An RSPCA spokesman said: "It is just not true. What we are trying to suggest is that killing badgers will make the situation worse, therefore it will be worse for cattle."

The spokesman referred to a Government-funded study which showed eradicating badgers was effective in the culling zones but increased incidents of the disease in surrounding areas.