Welsh cull stand-off continues

22 May 2001



Welsh cull stand-off continues

By Robert Davies, Wales correspondent

A STAND-OFF between a Welsh farming family and slaughtermen who want to kill their stock is continuing after more than one week.

Even the threat of a High Court injunction has failed to shift Winston Lloyd, his wife Eleanor and son Robert who farm at Pentresollars Farm at Bronlly, Powys.

As the impasse continues farmers are beginning to question whether the government has the legal right to enforce a cull of non-infected animals.

The Lloyds insist that they will not comply unless clinical foot and mouth disease is discovered in daily veterinary inspections.

Reports that compensation will not be paid if they continue to resist and the disease develops has also left them unmoved.

They have the support of around a dozen local farmers demonstrating against the cull on contiguous farms.

Even the confirmation on Monday (21 May) of yet another case at nearby Glazbury on Wye failed to dent their resolve.

But farming unions are mystified as to why the threatened injunction from the Ministry of Agriculture has not been sought in this case.

Alan Morris of the Farmers Union of Wales admits that many members are asking whether the government can legally enforce a cull of non-infected animals.

He says: “MAFF has backed down on several occasions, citing new evidence.

Now a significant number of people caught up in the cull of contiguous farms are questioning whether they were right to co-operate.”

MAFF has already said that it checked the legal implications before embarking on the cull policy across the country.

The new case at Glasbury, the 91st in Wales, is worrying organisers of the Hay-on-Wye literary festival, scheduled to begin on Thursday (24 May).

Director Peter Florence will hold talks with local farmers and take advice from MAFF.

At the very least the cluster of outbreaks in the area will deter some visitors, and make farmhouse accommodation unavailable.

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