Farm 'despair' over new outbreak

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The Welsh sheep industry may be hurt more by the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak than in August, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales says.

The countryside body's president, sheep farmer and former AM Glyn Davies, said there was "despair" in the industry.

Farmers are banned from moving their animals, just as the sheep sales season is reaching its height.

But farming unions accept restrictions are needed to help halt the spread of the new outbreak in Surrey.

The Welsh Assembly Government imposed a movement ban on animals in Wales after the new case of foot-and-mouth was confirmed by the rural affairs ministry, Defra.

The ban started at on Wednesday afternoon, and farmers need a licence to move susceptible animals.

It'll devastate my farming business but I have other interests - a lot of Welsh sheep farmers don't Glyn Davies, Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales

The news broke as animal markets were held in Carmarthen, Newport and in north Wales.

Mr Davies, a former Mid and West Wales Conservative AM, told BBC Radio Wales he had a "nervousness" about the economic future of the Welsh countryside.

He said the impact of the currently outbreak would be "probably greater" than the effects of the restrictions imposed after the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey in August.

Control zone

He said: "If it were to carry on, and it's entirely possible that it could carry on for weeks, it really would be devastating.

"The whole of the sales from the sheep flock that I have would have taken place - and will have to take place - in the next few weeks.

The disease outbreak has led to a ban on animal movements in Wales

"It'll devastate my farming business but I have other interests. A lot of Welsh sheep farmers don't.

"It will be devastating to them and they may well be sufficiently near the edge for it to be just too much."

He said he thought some members of the sheep farming industry had been too keen to see the previous animal movement restrictions lifted.

He added: "I thought we were too cavalier, before. I've seen two serious [foot-and-mouth] outbreaks, in '67 and 2001, [and] I just know the devastation that this causes, from personal experience.

"The idea that this is just a one-off case, which we all hope for, desperately hope for, it's far too optimistic a view.

"We've really got to be very careful and for quite a long period."

National Farmers Union (NFU) Cymru president Dai Davies said on Wednesday that the outbreak could not have come at a worse time for farmers, with thousands of stock moving from upland to lowland farm areas in the next few weeks

But he has said that the imposition of movement restrictions was "absolutely imperative to ensure the disease is stopped in its tracks".

A 10km (6.2 mile) control zone has been set up in Surrey and a pre-emptive slaughter has been ordered.