Five new areas are expected to commence badger culling this autumn, including Devon and Cornwall.
The Government wants to press on with its strategy to tackle bovine TB in cattle.
South Devon, North Devon, North Cornwall, South Herefordshire and West Dorset are all thought included in the new trials.
More than 3,000 badgers have been culled in Gloucestershire and Somerset since the trial began 2013.
But animal rights campaigners have condemned the Government's decision.
'More expensive, more inhumane'
David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said the cull was not necessary.
"The RSPCA believes there are better ways to tackle bovine TB," Mr Bowles told BBC Breakfast.
"It's more expensive to cull. It's more inhumane to cull. It doesn't sort out the problem even if you do it properly."
A Defra spokeswoman said the the Government's environmental body, Natural England, is currently considering applications for further badger control licences as part of the usual licensing process.
"England has the highest incidence of TB in Europe and that is why we are taking strong action to deliver our 25-year strategy to eradicate the disease and protect the future of our dairy and beef industries," said the spokeswoman.
"Badger control in areas where TB is rife is one part of our long-term plan, which also includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls and improving biosecurity on farm and when trading."
'Disastrous failure'
Chief executive of the Badger Trust, Dominic Dyer, said that after four years of badger culling "no one can now doubt" that the policy has been a "disastrous failure on scientific, cost and humaneness grounds."
"For the new Deftra Secretary Andrea Leadsom to ignore the facts and extend this policy into five new areas of the country defies belief.
"The badger cull is built on three pillars of sand, incompetence, negligence and deceit, and will ultimately collapse because it fails to address the key cause of bovine TB, which is cattle to cattle infection."
Sean Wensley, President of the British Veterinary Association, said the BVA recognises the need to control the wildlife reservoir of disease as part of a "comprehensive strategy" to eradicate bovine TB.
"Control measures in cattle must be accompanied by simultaneous and coordinated control measures in badgers and susceptible farmed species," Mr Wensley said.
"For these reasons, BVA supports the wider roll-out of culling to carefully selected areas where badgers are regarded as a significant contributor to the high incidence of bovine TB in cattle, through the use of cage trapping and shooting only.
"We do not support the continued use of controlled shooting as part of the badger control policy."
