Sheep slaughter follows protest

A distraught Mrs Hoffe mourns the loss of her sheep

Vets have began slaughtering five pet sheep which had been kept in their owner's house for the past five days.

Earlier, Carolyn Hoffe failed in her attempt to stop the slaughter of her sheep as part of the pre-emptive cull against foot-and-mouth disease.

Mrs Hoffe had lodged a petition at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to stop the action by agriculture officials, but to no avail.

She had barricaded herself and her five Dutch Zwartbles sheep in her home in Glasserton, in Dumfries and Galloway, on Monday.

As officials arrived to remove the sheep for the cull they were met by a group of animal rights protesters blocking the way.

Police arrested one of the protesters at the scene.

She could not bear to look as the sheep were killed in the living-room where they had been kept since Monday.

A team of vets, officials and army troops moved into the property in Glasserton, near Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway.

After her sheep had been slaughtered, Mrs Hoffe could not hide her anger and called Maff officials "evil people," adding "they have murdered five beautiful, healthy sheep".

I want Tony Blair, Nick Brown and Ross Finnie to come and see them die

Carolyn Hoffe

After a three-hour hearing on Friday, the judge Lord Clarke said that he was not prepared to suspend the slaughter, which could now be carried out immediately.

The decision meant the end of a high-profile campaign by Mrs Hoffe to save her sheep, named Maggie, Matthew, Melissa, Emily and Eva.

She had staunchly resisted the Scottish Executive's policy of culling all sheep kept within 3km of infected farms.

Mrs Hoffe, a widow, said her sheep had been tested and were free of infection.

However, as her petition was being heard, it emerged that foot-and-mouth had been confirmed at a farm about half a mile from Mrs Hoffe's home - the 181st case in Scotland.

Mrs Hoffe was distressed after the ruling

Speaking after the ruling, a tearful Mrs Hoffe said the prime minister, Agriculture Minister Nick Brown and Scottish Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie should be present to witness the slaughter.

She said: "I want Tony Blair, Nick Brown and Ross Finnie to come and see them die. They should be here to see what people suffer.

"There is nothing wrong with these sheep. They pose no threat to anyone.

"I have a good case but they are going to kill them anyway. The courts have given the officials the right to come and shoot them."

Mrs Hoffe said she would try to prevent agriculture officials from entering her home

"I will try to obstruct them but if they break the door down, what can I do?" she asked.

'It is so unfair'

"It would appear I can't stop them as they are above the law."

Mrs Hoffe also said that the Scottish Executive's strategy had made her ashamed of her native country.

She said: "I put on my census form that I was Scottish, as I was born in Scotland. I would change that now."

Mrs Hoffe said that she was even considering whether she could remain at her home after the sheep are killed.

The case led to huge media attention

"I don't know if I can stay. It is just so unfair, I can't believe they could do it. I just don't know what I am going to do."

Preparing herself for the inevitable, she added: "I want them to be buried in the paddock, I don't want them taken away and dumped."

In a further attack on politicians, she said: "It is unfair the way they come in and ruin peoples lives. These sheep have done nothing to anyone.

"I want Tony Blair here. Let him see them shot."

Mrs Hoffe's case had prompted huge media interest, especially when agriculture officials and police turned up at her home on Thursday to carry out the cull.

The officials had remained outside her home pending the outcome of the court hearing.