Animal movement restriction eased

Outbreak at second farm confirmed Welsh foot and mouth advice

Farmers in Wales have welcomed the easing of restrictions on livestock movements which were put in place after the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak.

They can now take their animals to slaughter under strict conditions and say it will ease the "acute economic hardship" being caused by the outbreak.

From midnight, the assembly government allowed farmers to take animals directly from farms to abattoirs.

But farmers' leaders say the situation is still "pretty desperate".

The assembly government imposed a movement ban on animals in Wales after the new case of foot-and-mouth in Surrey was confirmed on Wednesday by the rural affairs ministry Defra.

On Thursday, Defra said the disease strain found in Egham was similar to that from the Pirbright research site in Surrey, which was blamed for the August cases.

There's a whole host of issues which are being frozen now Brian Walters, Farmers' Union of Wales

Once a new case was confirmed, farmers in Wales were immediately banned from moving their animals, just as the sheep sales season is reaching its height.

But the assembly government agreed to an ease of animal movement in Wales from Friday.

Later, it issued further general licences to allow for movements in specific circumstances, including moving stray animals from roads.

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: "A number of licences have been published today for the movement of susceptible animals in specific circumstances.

"I would like to assure the industry that we are considering urgently the welfare needs of livestock and how this can be taken forward."

"A veterinary risk assessment is being carried out into allowing animals to move for welfare reasons."

It came as farmers warned the already strained industry was under even further pressure.

Farmer Janet Watkins, from Pantglas, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, said: "We're losing all our income now. Until the government sorts something out we're on stop.

"We have to be working harder now, we have to be more observant of our stock and yet we can't sell anything, so we're working for nothing."

"We want to know what is going to happen and how long are we going to be on stop."

'Pretty desperate'

In Wales concerns have been raised that the sheep industry may be hurt more by the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak than in August.

Brian Walters, vice-president of the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) said: "The situation in the sheep industry is pretty desperate.

"This is a crucial time of year when you have sheep sales all over Wales to move the flock perhaps off the hills to the lower ground for wintering then there's store cattle that need to be moved onto fattening units.

"You have dairy farmers at this time of year perhaps [who] want to buy extra dairy cows in order to produce a bit of milk cheaply off autumn grass, so there's a whole host of issues which are being frozen now and not happening because of this situation."

Speaking on Thursday, NFU Cymru's Dai Davies said the situation for farmers was very different this time around to August.

"There was desperation in the voice of the industry that was not there a month a go," he said.