8000 pigs culled in Yorkshire

31 July 2001



8000 pigs culled in Yorkshire

By FWi staff

MORE than 8000 pigs have been slaughtered in North Yorkshire as experts desperately try to stop foot-and-mouth spreading into the national herd.

The 8650 animals belonging to Trevor Bosomworth were culled at Sand Hutton, near Thirsk, over a 48-hour period which ended on Monday (30 July).

Carcasses later tested negative for foot-and-mouth although officials had earlier identified the disease at a farm run by Mr Bosomworths father Robin.

One animal in a 200-cow dairy herd tested positive at Abbots Close Farm, Thirsk. The animals were culled as dangerous contacts last Friday (28 July).

Officials then went to Robin Bosomworths home farm at Merderby Hall, Felixkirk, where they slaughtered 119 youngstock and heifers.

No trace of foot-and-mouth was found. But the disease was discovered among 130 cows and youngstock at another farm run by the family.

Rob Simpson, spokesman for the National Farmers Union, said the only positive aspect of the cull was that the pigs were not carrying foot-and-mouth.

“Other producers in the area will be heaving a sigh of relief,” he said.

“This slaughter demonstrates the serious view that DEFRA is taking of the risk of the disease spreading into other herds.”

A blanket ban on livestock movements was imposed in North Yorkshire after renewed fears about foot-and-mouth disease.

The movement ban, which took effect at 0001hrs on Monday (30 July), outlaws the movement of all livestock other than animals going to slaughter.

It is designed to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth down the country and into the national pig herd.