Farm minister David Heath has rejected calls for the government to abandon its planned badger cull to combat bovine tuberculosis in cattle.
His comments came after more than 110,000 people signed an e-petition calling on the government to abandon badger culls due to take place in south-west England.
Mr Heath said he would welcome a House of Commons debate on the issue. But trial culls planned for Gloucestershire and Somerset would go ahead, he added.
"We ought to have a debate because this is a serious issue and it is one that should be soberly debated," Mr Heath told a fringe meeting at the Liberal Democrat party conference.
But there would be no change in government policy, he added.
"I am persuaded by the evidence I have received that the trials should go ahead. We have a serious problem with bovine tuberculosis - I don't think anyone disagrees with that.
"We have a situation where no country has ever managed to bear down on bovine tuberculosis without dealing with infection in feral populations. That is fact."
More than 110,000 people have now signed a "Stop the badger cull" e-petition calling for a vaccination programme for badgers and cattle to be implemented instead.
The number of signatures is well over the 100,000 target required for the subject to be considered for debate in the House of Commons.
"We have a situation where no country has ever managed to bear down on bovine tuberculosis without dealing with infection in feral populations. That is fact."
David Heath
Initiated by Queen guitarist and animal welfare campaigner Brian May, the anti-cull e-petition reached the required number of signatures on Monday (24 September).
But Mr Heath said: "We need something that is effective. I have to say, on the basis of the scientific advice that we have received, there is no sensible alternative that has been brought forward yet.
"I wish there was. Nothing would please me more tomorrow this is a better way of eradicating the disease than we have. But we haven't got it at the moment and it is no good pretending that there is a better way."
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