A spring of crisis and despair for farmers
Cumbria looks to a happier future
With 44% of all cases of foot-and-mouth disease,
Cumbria was the worst-hit county. In the first
of a two-part article, Jeremy Hunt looks at
what the future holds for farmers in
this beleaguered county
A spring of crisis and despair for farmers
The disease may finally be
gone. But the uncertainties
of the future are proving
more stressful than the
realities of the past
ON a grey autumn afternoon, with rain pouring down outside, 200 farmers had crammed inside a meeting room in Cumbria. The day was not unlike the darkest days of early spring – wet and dark and grim.
The spring of 2001 was like no other. It was a time when Cumbrias farmers were gripped by crisis and despair. Foot-and-mouth had begun its merciless march and it was changing the face of the countys farming forever.
Now, nine months later, and the summer of contemplation and reflection was long gone. Empty yards power-hosed and pristine but bared of life, fields full of crows and little else, have almost, unthinkably, become an accepted fact.
Emotions may not be quite as raw, but bank accounts that had been temporarily swelled by compensation cheques must soon be drained of funds if farming is to resume and life is to return to some kind of normality.
By midsummer, Cumbria had almost rid itself of F&M and there was even tentative talk of late autumn sheep sales and of auction marts re-opening before the end of the year. The days were long, the sun was shining and there was a hint of cautious optimism.
But then came the sting in the tail as the summer flare-up of F&M near Penrith was set to tear an even deeper cut into this crisis-ridden county. As the disease raged, once again hopes of autumn restocking were soon extinguished and the cautious optimism was gone.
Everyone had expected the summer would be a healing time for Cumbria farmers but the medication hadnt worked. The Penrith case was the relapse that no one expected and it wrought grave and lasting damage.
Personal versions
But back at that autumn meeting the rain was still blasting against the windows. Speakers were presenting personal versions of the crisis and proffering their prospects for recovery, but among the audience the atmosphere was tense.
Were the grey skies and pouring rain resurrecting bitter memories of the days of slaughtermen and burning pyres?
Carlisle vet David Blacks recollections stirred deep emotions: "I can remember killing 2500 new born lambs in one day by barbiturate injection. I have that memory locked away at the back of my mind. I try hard not to think about it."
It is no surprise to learn that the countys Farmers Health Project has recorded a big increase in the number of calls from farmers suffering from stress. But these cries for help are recent. The uncertainties of the future are proving more stressful than the realities of the past.
Cumbrias rural economy has been allocated just £8.5m from DEFRAs Business Recovery Fund. Thats far below the £20m Lord Haskins reckons is needed and a pin-prick of the £112m five-year funding called for by Cumbrias F&M Task Force committee.
The task force – comprising individuals from all sectors of the countys rural economy – says Cumbria has lost 4.1% of its gross domestic product through F&M. Thats about £3000 for every worker in rural employment and it puts 12,300 jobs at risk.
So perhaps the delay in being able to restock may not be a bad thing after all. Its giving F&M victims more time to consider their future and assess what changes must be made to make their businesses more efficient and ultimately more profitable. This could be a time to take stock rather than restock.
As autumn moves into winter the DEFRA roll-back frees more farms from restrictions and presents the options of either bringing in sentinel stock or waiting a further four months before properly restocking.
Most will wait. Dairy farmers can be back in business within a month of producing the first drop of milk. They will at least have some income. Not so for hill farmers and those dependent on breeding beef cattle and sheep for a living.
Shortage of ewes
The shortage of Swaledale ewes – around 50% of the entire UK stock has been slaughtered – means hill farmers looking for replacement flocks will struggle to find all the ewes they need for the current breeding year.
Large hill flocks may only manage to find a quarter of their replacements. Prices of Swaledale ewes have at least doubled this autumn and yet the massive investment facing hill farmers trying to restock comes with no promise of higher future sheep values from the marketplace.
In the short term, all Swaledale gimmer lambs will be retained for breeding but Swaledale wethers sold as stores are not likely to become an overnight money-spinner for the hill sector.
F&M has forced farmings hand and led to calls for major change from every one of the myriad of organisations that now seem to have claimed a stake in agricultures future.
Familiarity can be a source of great solace in times of trauma but it must not be allowed to cloud deliberations over the future of farm businesses. Slipping back into the comfort zone – if ever there was one – could be dangerous.
Were we expecting too much to assume DEFRA would have been the guiding light? Perhaps it has held back on tea and sympathy on purpose. Perhaps this is DEFRAs answer to natural selection.
Mrs Becketts advisors may well be standing on the shoreline waiting to see who can stay afloat without a life-jacket. Those who cant will simply founder and many in the industry cant see anyone offering to throw them a life-line.
Carlisle vet David Black has memories hed rather forget.
The disease may appear to have been overcome, but the disinfecting goes on.