Sheep farmers' crisis warning

There is no export market for so-called 'light lambs'

Sheep farmers have warned of a new crisis that could lead to the slaughter of three million "light lambs" that have no market because of foot-and-mouth restrictions.

Farmers say the government needs to make an immediate decision about what to do with the so-called "light lambs" born on hill farms across the UK or the market will collapse.

Exmoor hill farmer and Somerset NFU chairman Oliver Edwards said: "We were told there was a light at the end of the tunnel but it turns out this was an express train heading straight for us.

Foot-and-mouth key facts

1844 confirmed cases - three on Friday

17,000 animals awaiting slaughter

3,541,0000 slaughtered

3,558,000 animals identified for slaughter

"This is a problem which needs to be sorted out right now, absolutely immediately, or there will be a crisis situation for every sheep farmer.

"It is a huge issue."

Mr Edwards said NFU officials, including himself, raised the issue with the junior agriculture minister Lord Whitty at a meeting in Taunton on Friday night.

He said he told the minister there were three possible courses of action to deal with the lambs: a huge national cold storage operation, a commitment by the government for the military to take the meat or a mass slaughter and disposal programme.

Plans denied

A Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokeswoman said no decision had been made but it was being urgently considered.

She denied reports plans have already been made to shoot 3.5m lambs.

She said: "We are looking at all the options and that one would be the worst possible outcome.

"We hope it does not come to that."

The spokeswoman also denied that mass burial sites had already been identified to dispose of the slaughtered animals.

Most of the lambs would have been exported, but exports have been banned since February.

Putting the lambs on the market at home would mean a catastrophic drop in price.

Dartmoor re-opens

Separately, Dartmoor National Park has fully re-opened to the public this weekend with the lifting of foot-and-mouth restrictions.

The national park was closed to walkers and horse riders to prevent the disease spreading to livestock grazing on moorland.

The only remaining restrictions cover a three-kilometre zone around Dartmoor's only case at a farm at Dunnabridge near Two Bridges.