Worries over carcass disposal

Sights like this could soon be common on Anglesey

A row is brewing over plans to dispose of the bodies of 40,000 sheep due to be culled on Anglesey in a bid to halt foot-and-mouth.

As livestock owners await the start of Tuesday's mass slaughter, farmers are worried at suggestions that the carcasses may be buried in a landfill site.

In some places the army is supervising the disposal of carcasses

The planned cull is the most drastic step to be taken in Wales since the crisis began, but the Ministry of Agriculture hopes that by culling the animals in one corner of Anglesey, they will be able to stop the virus in its tracks.

There are now 42 confirmed cases of the virus within Wales, 13 of which are on Anglesey, 25 in Powys and a further four in Monmouthshire. An additional 14 sites are under suspicion.

The huge cull is expected to take up to 10 days to complete, and Welsh Assembly Agriculture Minister Carwyn Jones has yet to announce what will be done with the bodies.

The Environment Agency has recommended burying them in the Penhesgyn landfill site at Penmynydd, near Menai Bridge.

'Environmental risks'

It said the site is perfect for the job, lined and big enough to hold the number of carcasses involved.

But Anglesey farmer Bob Parry - president of the Farmers' Union of Wales and a local councillor - has said he is determined not to let the bodies be buried there.

He is concerned about the potential environmental health risks of such a move.

"Wherever you put them, there are problems," he said.

A total of 13 cases have been confirmed on Anglesey

"But to put them in a landfill site with rubbish and vermin is not on."

The MAFF cull on Anglesey is due to begin at 1400GMT on Tuesday with a flock of 2,000 animals.

The animals will slaughtered at Welsh Country Foods abattoir at Gaerwen - where the first outbreak in Wales was confirmed more than a month ago.

A smaller, localised cull is being contemplated in the Church Stoke area of Powys to deal with the outbreak there.

'Swift cull'

Ministry vets have begun contacting farms in preparation for the killings.

In a briefing at the Welsh Assembly on Monday, Mr Jones said: "We are looking to carry out the cull as swiftly as possible.

"At the moment we're looking at a number of ways of disposing of the animals."

Farming unions have widely supported the mass slaughter of animals on Anglesey.

Checking a lamb for signs of the disease

National Farmers Union Cymru president Hugh Richards said the cull was a "dark day for Welsh farmers."

But he agreed it was the best way to halt the disease.

The FUW's Bob Parry said: "It is a distressing exercise - something that we had hoped would never happen.

"But there is no other option. We have got to think about the rest of the island and about the mainland. If this does not work the next step will be the culling of all animals on the island."

Border cull

Around a quarter of farmers on the island will be affected, some are marking up their best animals in the hope they can be saved under plans to spare some pedigrees.

A cull of 10,000 sheep and 500 cattle began at farms on the Welsh border with Herefordshire on Thursday.

Maff vets said the animals are being put down because of "dangerous contacts" with an outbreak at Peterstow, near Ross-on-Wye.

The army was called into Wales on Monday for the first time during the crisis.