Young couple face pig cull misery
11 August 2000
Young couple face pig cull misery
By David Green
A YOUNG couple who have worked for seven years to build up their pig breeding business face heavy losses following the first outbreak of swine fever in the UK for 14 years.
Jeremy and Amanda Havers face the slaughter of their 900 sows and piglets after MAFF tests confirmed the disease among their herd at Quidenham in Norfolk.
It is suspected of being the source of an outbreak of the disease at Iken, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, where the slaughter of 3,500 pigs has begun.
The breeding unit supplies pigs to the farm.
During the industrys crisis of the past three years, Mrs Havers has been using her earnings from a full-time job elsewhere to support the farm enterprise.
Mr Havers father, David, of Wretts Farm, Stradbroke, Suffolk, said the outbreak would bring a great deal of human misery as well as financial loss.
“Jeremy and Amanda thought they had got through the worst of the pig crisis and now this hits them,” he said.
“They have put everything into their enterprise and this is a terrible thing to happen to them.”
Mr Havers said his son had broken away from the family farm to set up his own enterprise.
When MAFF had informed him earlier this week of its intention to inspect the herd for swine fever he thought his world had fallen in.
He was now under a great deal of pressure, partly caused by the media spotlight on the breeding unit, said Mr Havers.
“My son had to ask a group of photographers to leave the premises yesterday. Its been relentless,” he added.
- Swine fever cull on six new farms, FWi, 11 August 2000
- Swine fever found on two more farms, FWi, 10 August 2000
- Swine fever outbreak confirmed, FWi, 09 August 2000