QUEEN star Brian May is "delighted" after the British government announced it will delay a planned cull of badgers in the U.K. until next summer (13) due to fierce opposition.

May joined forces with officials from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Rspca) for the Save the Badger Drive in a bid to stop the mass slaughter.

Under the government's plans, several thousand badgers could still be shot by trained marksmen in an effort to reduce levels of bovine tuberculosis, which can kill herds of cows.

The guitarist had urged fans to sign a petition and boycott dairy products made in the areas where badgers were to be killed, and following the announcement that the cull has been postponed, May thanked his followers for spreading the word.

He tells British newspaper The Guardian, "We're delighted that the badgers have had a reprieve. That goes without saying. Waking up this morning and realising they will live, rather than die, is great news for us...

"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... I would like to thank the public for rallying around so magnificently, showing that they would not stand for this ill-conceived killing of wild animals."