Brake on sheep moves unworkable

26 March 2001



Brake on sheep moves ‘unworkable’

By Alistair Driver

PLANS to restrict the movement of animals through markets are unworkable and will devastate livestock producers, farmers have claimed.

Consultation will begin this week on a package of government measures designed to prevent a repeat of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

These will include a ban on the movement of livestock for 21 days after they arrive at a new holding and a ban on the feeding of swill to pigs.

Multiple movements of infected sheep through markets in February helped spread the disease which has now risen beyond 600 outbreaks.

Agriculture minister Nick Brown is visiting livestock farmers in the worst-hit areas of Cumbria and Devon on Monday (26 March).

Rules forcing animals to be kept on holdings for 21 days would allow disease to show before they are moved on, the government has been advised.

The British Veterinary Association has called for the restriction, which already applies to the pig sector, to be extended to sheep and cattle.

But the National Sheep Association (NSA) said all sheep would have to be individually tagged to enable the movement restrictions to be enforced.

This would be “impossible” said NSA chief executive John Thorley.

The restrictions would also damage primary producers by severely restricting the role of sheep traders, who find markets for their sheep, added Mr Thorley.

Between January and March, traders act as a “clearing house” for sheep left on farms prior to the new lambing season.

By travelling to different markets throughout the country they find buyers for millions of sheep, said Mr Thorley.

“The more they put the brake on this, the less opportunity there is to find a buyer. It will be the primary producer who suffers,” he said.

Mr Thorley acknowledged that the issue of the risk of disease being spread through multiple sheep movement needs to be looked at.

But he called for the government to look at why this happens in the first place and particularly the decline of abattoirs.

Agriculture minister Nick Brown should look at the full picture, not just part of it, said Mr Thorley.