Welsh graziers lose foot-and-mouth fence battle

Graziers on the Welsh uplands have lost their battle to retain a fence erected during the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease crisis to control the movement of sheep.

The Welsh Government said the 10-year-old fence on the Brecon Beacons must come down, a year after graziers had applied for it to remain in place.

The Open Spaces Society, The Ramblers and the National Trust had called for it to be removed.

The farmers insisted the barrier, which divides parts of the Brecon Beacons, Vaynor and Buckland Commons for 6.4km, is important for animal management and disease control but opponents have argued that it impedes access and is visually intrusive.

The three grazier associations affected by the Welsh Government decision have met to discuss the impact it will have on them. The strength of feeling is high and they are currently seeking legal advice on their options.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales’ common land committee vice chairman, Dilwyn John, said the graziers were “angry and dismayed’’. The repercussions will mean many additional hours of work for them in one of Wales’s harshest environments, he said.

“Taking down the fence will have a major impact on graziers’ ability to manage their flocks and the environment, and will increase the risk of diseases spreading,’’ said Mr John.

“The government has ignored animal health issues and the needs of those who make a living off this land, and has sided with a tiny minority whose only interests are recreational.’’

When foot-and-mouth arrived in Wales in 2001 every sheep flock on the Beacons was culled.

Mr John argued that with access to over a million acres of land in Wales, disease prevention should have come ahead of public access. There are stiles and gates at regular intervals along the fence.

“The interests of those who make a living off the land and who now rely on these fences should have been the Welsh Government’s priority,’’ insisted Mr John.

Michael Rolt, of the Open Spaces Society, said people had a right to roam over the Beacons, free of the fence. “It’s an enormous intrusion into the rural scene across these wide open spaces, and it’s also a barrier to physical progress,” he said.