Welfare plea as movement ban lifted

9:28am Saturday 13th October 2007

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LIVESTOCK movement restrictions designed to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease and blue tongue will be eased next week.

But farming leaders in the North-East and Yorkshire still want an emergency sheep welfare scheme introduced in the region.

The Government yesterday (Fri) said a 3km protection zone around farms infected with foot and mouth in Egham, Surrey - and restrictions in low risk areas including this region - will be lifted on Wednesday, provided there are no more suspected cases.

Markets within the blue tongue control and protection zones - which stretch from Lincolnshire to East Sussex - will return from midnight on Sunday and movements to approved slaughterhouses outside the zones will also be allowed.

Fred Landeg, the deputy chief veterinary officer, said the removal of the GB movement ban, outside of the FMD Risk Area, should help the farming industry start to get back to business-as-usual.

David Hugill, chairman of the North Riding and Durham County National Farmers' Union (NFU), welcomed the news.

He said: "In theory it should increase the customer base for our livestock at the autumn sales which will hopefully give the prices a lift, but it is going to be long haul back to recovery."

The NFU's North-East regional livestock board wants the government to introduce a £20-a-head sheep welfare scheme in the region.

Thousands of lambs have missed the export market and hill farms in particular are running out of forage.

They want a similar scheme to Scotland which pays the farmer for his sheep which then go for slaughter. They do not enter the food chain.

David Maughan, a board member who farms near Darlington, earlier said there was particular concern about light lambs in the region.

He said: "We have proposed a scheme for all sheep but it is particularly for the horned hill sheep."