Cattle stranded on Exmoor farms

Hill farms are too small to sell cattle direct to buyers

Restrictions on livestock sales are creating a new crisis for the small hill farms of Exmoor.

They are causing welfare concerns among farmers who do not have enough feed or shelter to see cattle through the winter.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) also says the constant grazing of unsold cattle could damage the landscape of the national park, which straddles Devon and Somerset.

The standard restrictions are causing a severe backlog on Exmoor because it has so many hill farms which are too small to sell direct to buyers.

The wheels in government are so slow we still haven't had a solution

Oliver Edwards
Somerset NFU

Official distribution centres can handle cattle for only one buyer each day.

Tom Rook, a director of Exmoor Farmers Livestock Auctions, which owns Cutcombe Market, said: "It's a welfare issue.

"These farmers don't expect to have wintering calves. They're not equipped for them, but they can't leave them out on the hills. They have to get rid of their cattle."

Cutcombe Market is one of many that are acting as official distribution centres. Cattle are filmed on their farms and then sold to buyers who gather in village halls.

Buyers are allowed to collect animals direct - but only from single farms. But many travel long distances and need to buy cattle in large numbers.

"Our small farms here may have only 10 calves to sell," said Mr Rook.

Collection point

A farmer buying from three farms cannot collect from them all, so the sellers take their animals to Cutcombe Market.

But then all the lorries have to be disinfected on site and cannot bring in any more animals for another buyer until the next day.

It takes only a few hours to complete the distribution and disinfecting.

Mr Rook said: "I can't see why we can't take one lot in the morning and another lot in the afternoon."

Cutcombe is a collection point for hill farms all around Exmoor.

Damaged landscape

Oliver Edwards, chairman of Somerset NFU, said: "We actually flagged this up about two months ago.

"The wheels in government are so slow we still haven't had a solution."

He said many cattle would be past their best by the time they reached the market.

Farmers from other parts of the country, who normally "finish" cattle in barns over winter, might be put off buying.

Cattle left on Exmoor farms could churn up ground, damaging the national park's landscape, warned Mr Edwards.