Protestors halt burning of carcasses

More sheep will be taken to abattoirs for slaughter

Protestors furious about the disposal of sheep carcasses at Mona on Anglesey brought a temporary halt to the burning.

On Wednesday night, a group of angry locals successfully turned back a lorry carrying more bodies to the disused airfield chosen for the destruction of 40,000 animals killed in a bid to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth.

Just let us get on and finish the job. We want to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.There is no threat to human health or animal health.

Agriculture Minister Carwyn Jones

The protestors - who threatened to mount an all-night vigil - have been given an undertaking that no more carcasses will be brought to the burning site until after a meeting with Welsh Assembly officials on Thursday.

Worried villagers are due to meet at the chapel hall at Bodffordd at 1000GMT.

Officials will be hoping to allay fears that the burning poses public health or environmental risks, or that it could help spread foot-and-mouth further across the island.

Agriculture Minister Carwyn Jones pleaded with the protestors to allow the burning to continue.

'Unpleasantness'

"Just let us get on and finish the job," he said.

"We want to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.

"There is no threat to human health or animal health.

"Clearly there will be unpleasantness and it will be a nuisance for a time, but think about the farmers - think about what they are losing."

Earlier in the day Mr Jones announced plans for a second mass cull in Wales - in Powys, beginning on Thursday.

'Assess needs'

"We intend to proceed with a cull of all susceptible animals including sheep, cattle and pigs on farms that are contiguous to confirmed cases," he said.

"We will assess whether the cull needs to take place of all confirmed cases or whether or it needs to take place on cases going back to March 16, namely the last date of the movement order."

Back on Anglesey, the Environment Agency warned locals not to stay within two kilometres of the centre of the pyre for longer than necessary.

The agency's north Wales manager Andrew Dixon said concerns continue about the use of Mona airfield because of poor soil cover and underlying geology which might allow contaminated water to seep towards the Cefni reservoir or local streams.

No new cases

He also said that there is the potential for contaminants in the smoke from fires on hard standing to affect the reservoir as well as the contribution to atmospheric pollution.

No new confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth were notified on Thursday. The total remained at 42, with 13 of them on Anglesey, 25 in Powys, and four in Monmouthshire.

Across the UK the total is rising towards the 700 mark.

Fellow Assembly Member and Anglesey farmer Peter Rogers said that the mood among farmers had shifted at that many were now calling for an end to the cull and the beginning of mass vaccination instead.

"The cull is too late, Carwyn Jones has only got one option left and that is a vaccination scheme," he said.

"This is a crisis and it has to be met with crisis action immediately."

Mr Jones dismissed the vaccination idea.

"All that vaccination does is to buy you time," he said. "The animals would still have to be culled. The veterinary advice is that what we are doing now is the best way forward."