Unsettling times in Settle

Foot-and-mouth can be hard to spot in sheep

by BBC Environment Correspondent Rachel Ellison in Settle, North Yorkshire

In the market square the townspeople are milling about, talking about the latest cases of foot-and-mouth disease.

Farmers in flat caps and muddy boots wander through the picturesque streets, licking ice creams and looking aimlessly at the shop windows.

Foot-and-mouth facts

Total number of confirmed foot-and-mouth cases in the UK 1,656 - Three new cases on Monday

3,030,000 animals slaughtered

73,000 animals awaiting slaughter

15,000 carcasses awaiting disposal

Many of them do not know what to do with themselves - years of cattle and dairy farming have come to an end.

Their livestock has been killed and taken away for burial.

Locals talk about how the disease could have spread to the Yorkshire Dales.

People have begun to bicker and blame each other for the ruin of foot-and-mouth disease.

In Settle, 15% of the population works in farming while 25% are involved in tourism. The two industries are intertwined.

Incomes have dropped in some cases to near zero. And there is another concern - whether the Army operation to try to stamp out foot-and-mouth could in fact be spreading the disease.

Millions of animals have been destroyed

New clusters have been appearing along the A65 between Settle and Carlisle - the route Maff lorries are taking to transport animal carcasses to burial sites north of Settle.

The impact of foot-and-mouth continues to be felt by all; people here feel anxious and ill-informed, impressed as they are with the Army's efficiency and organisation of the cull, people wonder whether the measures aimed at stamping out this economically devastating disease, may actually be making things worse.