Farmer awaits MAFF decision
Farmer awaits MAFF decision
MAFF is yet to decide what farming activities to authorise on foot-and-mouth infected farms during the six months when no livestock susceptible to the virus can come on to the unit.
Willie Cleave, whose farm at Highampton in Devon was the first in the south-west to be confirmed foot-and-mouth, has asked repeatedly what he can do. His questions include whether silage or hay can be made for next winter.
But MAFF has no answer for him, except to say that re-stocking in a dirty area can only start six months after the last case in that area. That could mean some farms having to wait much longer than six months to restock.
Mr Cleave also has two farms on Farm Business Tenancies for which rent is due on Mar 25. "What do I do? How can I pay thousands of £s rent for land when I dont know what I can use it for? Will the insurance cover it? Nobody seems to know. My solicitor said I could walk away, but thats not how I operate."
farmers weekly has asked MAFF in London four times for an answer on permitted farming activities, which are now of concern to an increasing number of producers.
One MAFF spokesman said they were concentrating on controlling the disease and would worry about other issues later. But it would not be safe to assume that what happened after the 1967 outbreak, which occurred in autumn, farms being restocked in spring would apply again, he said.
A second MAFF press officer said: "There may well be someone in Whitehall who knows the answers but we do not know who that might be and we have not been briefed on this topic." *