D notices tighten their grip
D notices tighten their grip
By James Garner
and John Burns
RESTRICTED animal movements, no compensation and welfare payments slashed by the government.
Farming under a form D notice should not be underestimated.
The many farmers caught up under these foot-and-mouth restrictions – there are 3700-plus in Devon alone – are saying that unless they get help, their businesses will be yet another victim of F&M.
Day-to-day management has been turned on its head, while farmers strive to keep stock alive and all along it is costing them money.
Form D notices are served for varying reasons and duration, says Tom Hind, NFU meat and hygiene adviser. Often it is because animals on a farm may have been exposed to infection or the premise has had links with transport or staff from an infected farm.
Other form D notices are served on farms within 3km of an infected holding to establish a protection zone. These usually have a time period of 21 or 28 days.
MAFF says form D farms with animals suspected of being in contact with F&M are treated as infected until proven otherwise. These farms are subject to the strictest movement restrictions and it is unlikely that they would be granted licenses to move animals direct to slaughter, even if they could.
Other units within 3km protection zones can now move animals direct to slaughter under licence, although they must find an outlet within the infected area prepared to take their stock.
Mr Hind agrees movement restrictions are causing real problems in form Ds, but there are good reasons to be vigilant. "The last thing we want to do is exacerbate the tail of the disease. We worked hard to get direct movement to slaughter in form D areas, but there are problems with this and we must not compromise disease regulations."
Chris Fernyhough, a vet for the Trefaldwyn Vet Practice in Wales, told farmers weekly that one of his clients has had to apply to the welfare scheme because he is so overstocked. "He would have sold store cattle at this time of year for £600 apiece. On the welfare scheme their value is capped to £360 a head."
Mr Fernyhough says form D farms have a strong case for help. "They should be automatically eligible for compensation, because of the special restrictions they have been under, otherwise many more farmers will go out of business."
The NFU is also fighting the corner of form D farms, says Mr Hind. "We need to see a series of recovery measures in place."
Form D areas have surrounded foot-and-mouth outbreak zones in UK.