Farmer's grief at slaughter plans

Mr Macintyre will have to cull his entire flock

A Scottish farmer has spoken of the "heart wrenching" prospect of having to cull his entire flock of sheep to combat foot-and-mouth.

William MacIntyre broke down and was unable to continue his interview on BBC Radio Scotland.

Mr MacIntyre, the National Farmers' Union of Scotland's regional chairman for Dumfries and Galloway, said his "heart goes out" to other farmers who have found themselves in the same position as him.

While Mr MacIntyre said he appreciated the need for the government-ordered cull, he expressed deep sadness at the thoughts of having to destroy a 900-plus flock which took more than seven years to build up.

My heart can only go out to fellow producers, there's a lot of people with far better stocks than I've got

William MacIntyre, sheep farmer

He said: "We fully back what has happened. If a fire breaks out you've got to get in front of it and I think that is what we're hoping to do."

His voice faltering, Mr MacIntyre told the Good Morning Scotland programme: "My heart can only go out to fellow producers, there's a lot of people with far better stocks than I've got."

Mr MacIntyre said the situation was "very distressing" and apologised for being unable to continue the telephone interview.

Earlier he told the programme: "It seems so ironic, I was in the sheep shed this morning and I brought a little lamb into life. It's such a heart wrenching experience."

Charles MacLean, a veterinary officer in Dumfries and Galloway, said staff had expressed concern for farmers and their families.

Farmers face killing sheep in lambing season

He said: "The vet's role is effectively to save life, treat it, and that's what gives us a buzz.

"The sheer scale of it - and we can't get away from it - it is a mass slaughter, is a new experience for them.

"My own feeling is that, looking at vets coming back - we have a range of vets, we have both male and female, both recent graduates and people come back from retirement - as I debrief them on their return from the field their main concern is the sheer agony of the farmer and his family.

"They are so concerned about other parties that they seem to be less concerned about themselves."

Peter Cook, the head of rural business unit at the Scottish Agricultural College, said the slaughter would place a heavy burden on farmers.

Industry 'suffering badly'

"The true cost is the emotional cost, to people like Mr MacIntyre.

"The whole industry is going to suffer badly. If you take 200,000 sheep out of the Dumfries and Galloway economy in terms of the inputs that are brought in for that number of sheep (the cost) is probably about £8m.

The crisis is taking its toll on vets

"Maybe not all of that will be lost, but certainly quite a lot of it will be.

"Feed suppliers, vets, hauliers, everybody who actually depends on this industry in an area which is already heavily dependent on agriculture anyway is going to lose out."

On the potential job losses, he said: "It is a funny industry because you don't have people working in one big factory site."

"You don't see it shut and see thousands of people go out onto the street but what you have is single cases all over the place and there is just a gradual haemorrhage from the countryside.

"It will be significant. We're in a bad state already. Farm incomes are about £3,000 to £4,000 and nobody can live on that.

"We've seen a rapid reduction in the agricultural labour force and this will just hasten it."