Cull cordons off corner of Anglesey

26 March 2001



Cull cordons off corner of Anglesey

By Robert Davies, Wales correspondent

A PRECAUTIONARY cull of 800 ewes grazing common land is under way to try to stop foot-and-mouth disease spreading on the island of Anglesey, Wales.

Veterinary experts decided not to wait for test results on the animals which are owned by seven farmers who graze sheep near the RAFs Valley airbase.

They will begin culling a further 40,000 apparently healthy sheep on the island, where 12 cases have now been confirmed, on Tuesday (27 March).

The sheep are 10 miles away from the cluster of cases close to the abattoir at Gaerwen, where the first outbreak on Anglesey was discovered.

“As tough as the precautionary kill is for the farmers involved, it makes sense to try to halt spread to any new area in its tracks,” said a union spokesman.

Most farmers accepted the need to cull livestock, said Carwyn Jones, the National Assemblys minister for rural affairs, who Anglesey at the weekend.

The majority of livestock producers accepted the need to create a cordon sanitaire around the 25% of the island that was infected, he said.

Mr Jones said it was important that the disease didnt spread to the upland areas, open hills and common land on mainland Wales close to Anglesey.

In south Wales, soldiers based at Brecon are mounting patrols to keep away sheep grazing on nearby common land around Hay-on-Wye.

They are also rounding up stray sheep for destruction.