Counting the costs of export barriers

Foot-and-mouth restrictions continue

By BBC News Online Scotland's Deirdre Kelly

Three months have passed since the last diagnosed case of foot-and-mouth in Scotland - and the country's farmers are eager to restart exporting their sheep and cattle.

But they are not willing to have the trade barriers removed at any cost.

Agnes Leask

Shetland

85 sheep, 60 lambs

Nearest foot and mouth: 400 miles away

Farms of all sizes and in all areas north of the border rely on exports.

Agnes Leask runs a small croft 15 miles west of Lerwick on Shetland.

Her island business has just 85 sheep and 60 lambs and was more than 400 miles from the nearest foot-and-mouth case.

However, she has to adhere to the same safety measures and faces the same movement restrictions as Bob Howatt, a Borders farmer who was just 15 miles away from the nearest diagnosed case.

Mrs Leask, 67, does not export directly, but if the restrictions were removed she would see an immediate impact.

No welfare schemes

She explained: "We are dependent on how the industry functions nationwide, we sell our lambs to those who do export."

The mother-of-two added "Just before the war, when I was a child, things were grim, but my father had freedom over what we grew and what we bred.

Slaughter of animals took place in Dumfriesshire and the Borders

"He received cash in hand by selling a sheep to the doctor, the minister or the teacher. In those days we did not have welfare schemes.

"Today we are subject to more and more rules and regulations. Our simple lives are being ruled by food politics.

"But I find it ironic that despite all of these rules we seem to suffer more problems and have to tackle more disease outbreaks."

Mr Howatt has been running his farm, 10 miles from Hawick in the Borders, for 13 years.

He has 600 sheep, 650 lambs and 40 cows.

Bob Howatt

Hawick, Borders

600 sheep, 650 lambs and 40 cows

Nearest foot and mouth: 15 miles away

The 41-year-old wants to see export restrictions lifted but he is prepared to wait until the outcome of tests at nine Borders farms which have had contact with a farmer from an infected area in Northumberland.

"It will be three weeks or so before we know about the current scares. However, all the indications are that they will come to nothing."

Mr Howatt believes it is vital that the Scottish Executive and the UK Government present a strong argument when they speak to Brussels about lifting export restrictions.

'Robust plan'

"They have to go to Europe and present a robust plan which includes stressing that we are free of foot-and-mouth and that we have put the restictions fully into place," said the father-of-four.

Caithness farmer Tom Pottinger is also keen to see the export marker open again, but he believes Scotland must go it alone.

Tom Pottinger

Thurso, Caithness

1,000 sheep, 100 cows

Nearest foot-and-mouth: 350 miles away

"I don't think we can wait for England to be rid of the disease before we lobby for this restriction to be lifted," said the 45-year-old.

Mr Pottinger's farm, 20 miles from Thurso, is hundreds of miles away from any disease hotspots.

He believes current policy should continue and vaccinations should not be the new focus.

"We have got this far without it, vaccinating would not be the right thing to do.

Ross Finnie: No timetable

"Firstly it would ruin any chance of an export market and secondly it is not totally effective," said Mr Pottinger, whose family has farmed for generations and has 1,000 sheep and 100 cows.

NFU past president Jim Budge, who farms in Shetland, lobbied Scotland's rural affairs minister Ross Finnie earlier this week.

"He was sympathetic, but could not offer us much in the way of action," said Mr Budge, who has 250 sheep, 350 lambs and 55 breeding cows.

But he added: "Shetland is essentially a sheep-producing area and we want to get back to normal, we want the export market to return."

Jim Budge

Shetland

250 sheep, 350 lambs and 55 cows

Nearest foot and mouth: 400 miles away

This time of the year is an important one for sheep farmers like Mr Budge.

He is hoping to send his lambs from the island to Aberdeenshire where they will be finished - a process whereby they are fed throughout the winter ready for selling on for slaughter in the new year.

A high percentage of those sheep are exported either to England or overseas.

The companies which trade in the finishing process will not be keen to buy if they know they cannot export, says Mr Budge, aged 53.

Rural development minister Ross Finnie has said that Scotland could achieve disease-free status soon - although he could not give a timescale for such a move.

Farmers Scotland now know they must remain vigilant and hope that tests being undertaken in the Borders are negative.