Angry and concerned Welsh council
An angry and concerned NFU Cymru Welsh Council this morning reflected on the huge desperation and frustration amongst farmers who are under restriction and suffering economic and welfare problems and personal hardship through no fault whatsoever of their own but because the Foot and Mouth virus was allowed to escape from a Government complex in Pirbright.
Dai Davies, NFU Cymru President told members of Welsh Council, "To my mind the Government got us into this mess and they have the responsibility to get us out of it. We have held and continue to hold regular meetings with our Minister, Elin Jones, as the economic and welfare problems continue to grow. We have stock that have no grass, stock that have no market and as a result farmers that have no hope. The situation is absolutely desperate and we have a backlog of stock that should have been marketed in August and September. We welcome the easing of restrictions to date but they are, quite frankly, too late for many.
"We have called on the Assembly to consider every avenue to support the industry in Wales and amongst a range of options being considered are a welfare disposal scheme for animals trapped with no market outlet; an early delivery of Single Payments; a payment to all affected livestock farmers; a supplement to Tir Mynydd payments and a scheme to encourage public procurement of lamb that cannot at present be exported."
Mr Davies continued, "The combination of Foot and Mouth Disease and Bluetongue have shaken the livestock industry to its foundations.
Although the confirmation that Bluetongue has become an official outbreak was expected it has still come as a bitter blow to farmers across a large swathe of Eastern England, who now face the prospect of movement restrictions stretching on for many months into the future.
"Bluetongue is a nasty disease which represents a very real threat to the welfare of farm animals, as well as to the economics of livestock farming in the whole of GB, so we have to do what we can and what we are required to do by EU law, to seek to contain it.
"The best hope for eradicating the disease lies in development of a vaccine that will protect livestock against this particular strain. We understand that this may become available next year and we will be pressing both the EU and the international animal health authorities to lift all bluetongue-related restrictions once a programme of vaccination has been successfully implemented."
