'Why am I in this business?'

The Sheldon farm is set for the all-clear

Mike Sheldon could not believe it when he was told the outbreak of foot-and-mouth could have originated at his farm.

Greenways Farm in Great Horwood, Buckinghamshire, was one of two farms subjected to a five-mile exclusion zone on Tuesday night after the disease was detected at Cheale Meats abattoir in Essex.

A consignment of 100 pigs had been taken from his 120-acre farm to the abattoir on Friday.

During the past few days Mr Sheldon and his wife, Jackie, have lived in fear that their farm was the source.

It seems now that they are likely to be given the all clear although they are still subject to stringent restrictions.

When something like this happens I look at my wife and my children and wonder why on earth I am in this business

Mike Sheldon

Mr Sheldon,42, who farms 12,000 pigs, said: "The main impact over the past few days has been worry about whether we really did have the disease.

"As time goes by we are getting more and more confident that we didn't. My gut feeling always was that we didn't and now the vets are saying there are no signs of it on the farm.

"We are still under restrictions but we are hoping that in the next few days we will be able to resume operations."

Family pressure

Mr Sheldon, a father-of-two, said his whole business was currently on standstill.

"If the crisis goes on for a week or so then the main impact will definitely have been worry and we will be able to put it down to one of those business inconveniences," he said.

"On the other hand if restrictions continue then we will definitely suffer.

"The first impact will be on cash-flow. In about 10 days time my incoming cash will dry up to nothing but I will still have to pay wages and bills.

"I have calculated that if it goes on for six weeks it will cost me more than £100,000.

"And obviously if prices continue to fall it will affect us too."

'Just awful'

Mr Sheldon, who has been in the pig farming industry for 20 years, said the situation was putting a lot of pressure on his family.

"As a pig farmer I have been through three years of awful prices - it's just awful.

"It is so tight as to whether you are going to make a margin out of farming anyway, so when something like this happens I look at my wife and my children and wonder why on earth I am in this business.

"It really does go right to the heart of whether it's all worth it."