Scot farmers in hot water

MORE THAN 200 farmers in Scotland are in hot water for failing to notify the Casualty and Fallen Stock Helpline when cattle over 24 months old died on their farms.

The law insists that any cattle older than two years that die on farms must be reported to the helpline so compulsory BSE testing can be carried out.

When details of cattle deaths recorded by the British Cattle Movement Service for July were checked against BSE surveillance records, it was found that 222 Scottish farmers had failed to notify the helpline, so the cattle were not tested for BSE.

The 222 farmers have been contacted and have been asked to provide details of how they disposed of the carcasses.

The Scottish Executive has also pointed out that further manual checks will be done for the months of August and September.