Farmers and wildlife activists say the battle goes on after the Government put the badger cull on hold.

Both sides say the decision to delay has done nothing to take the heat out of the row which led to a vigil in Coleford on Sunday night.

Yesterday, both sides were in London lobbying politicians ahead of a much-publicised Commons debate today.

As wildlife campaigners celebrated the announcement by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, farmers' leaders vowed to make sure it did not lead to a total U-turn.

"Farmers are desperately disappointed," said deputy county chairman of the NFU Andrew Guest, of Tump Farm, Sedbury.

"Having said that, it is probably the right decision under the circumstances, because it has to be done right and we cannot afford to make a mess of it.

"Something has to be done and done soon. We cannot wait for vaccination.

"But we have to follow the science to deliver a reduction in the disease."

Mr Guest is dreading his next test because his farm is five miles from Jim Hunt, the latest Forest farmer to lose his 126-strong herd to TB.

"It's still very much about and although we have made enormous efforts to stay disease free over the years, you cannot control where the badgers go," he said.

"I don't want to keep my cows in sheds but I cannot afford to suffer like he did."

Mr Paterson was forced to return from an official trip abroad to make the announcement to the Commons which came after months of lobbying by badger groups.

He said the six-week trial had been initially held up because police were too busy with the Olympics to monitor it.

Time ran out to find the marksmen and the money when officials found there were twice as many badgers to be killed as first thought.

The announcement came days after 12-year-old Oscar Pratten, from Whitecross School, took centre stage at the Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting vigil in Coleford.

The youngster who set up a Facebook page for young people opposed to the cull told the crowds: "I have been to the natural history museum and have seen lots of animals in glass cabinets that are now extinct.

"It will be even sadder if one day we take our grandchildren, and there is a new animal in the glass cage – a badger."

RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant told the crowd they had been portrayed as terrorists and fanatics but were only representing the views of millions of people in the country.

Activists are hoping that MPs will put pressure on ministers to make the decision permanent during a parliamentary debate triggered by a 150,000 e-petition started by rock star Brian May.

Lydbrook herdsman Steve Jones is one of the main faces of the national fight against the cull and travelled to London to tell MPs that killing badgers will not get rid of TB in cattle.

"The fight starts now," he said after the delay was announced.

"We now have nine or 10 months to make sure they do not implement the cull again next year.

"I will be lobbying and putting forward my 10 point plan to beat the disease. I know the farmers are disappointed it is not taking place, but this is a good decision for them.

"The cull would have been bad for farmers because they would have lost the support of the public."

On Monday November 21 activists will continue the fight locally when they put pressure on Gloucestershire County Council to ban badger culling on their tenanted farms, which some estimate make up around 1,000 acres within the pilot zone.

Gloucestershire Constabulary have now lifted a ban on police taking holidays because of fears of angry clashes.

Many scientists also want the trial stopped, but farmers say it is the only way to stop TB which resulted in the slaughter of 26,000 cattle and cost

£90 million last year.

Brian May said he was delighted that the badgers had won a reprieve and thanked the public but added: "It's by no means the end of the line. What we need is a complete abandonment of this plan to cull badgers, which has always been irrelevant."