News for MAY 2001 ................

The Battle of Baronsdown by Jonny Beardsall, Telegraph Weekend, Saturday, 19th May
Farmers in Exmoor fear a haven for red deer is becoming a breeding ground for bovine TB
Click here to read more ............

Cattle cull of despair, Chris Rundle, Western Daily Press, Tuesday, 15th May
A Bungled bid to cull a herd of cattle sparked outrage last night and left farmers in tears. The operation ended with gunmen taking potshots as the terrified animals stampeded and tried to escape. Angry villagers condemned the Ministry of Agriculture over the slaughter – just a day before Tony Blair was due to announce that MAFF would itself be culled and replaced with a new Department of Rural Affairs. And the National Farmers’ Union demanded an inquiry into the “appalling” scenes at Knowstone, North Devon, after officials were called in to destroy 25 cattle infected with foot–and–mouth . Six animals were killed but the rest panicked and charged through hedges to neighbouring farms. Owner John Stanbury had offered to move the highly-strung Charolais and Limousin bullocks into a barn to make the operation easier. But the MAFF team decided to kill them in the field. Horrified witnesses saw the cattle running up and down the field while attempts were made to bring them down with a rifle. Farmer Les Winslade said: “We saw them taking potshots at the animals, but the cattle were going berserk. I have never seen anything like it in my life.”
As the mayhem continued Mr Winslade tried to contact the RSPCA to stop the shooting. He said: “I saw them shoot five or six—they were lying dotted all over the field, but at least one other was limping. Eventually they chased them into the next farm.
“It was obvious to anyone what was going to happen. Once you shoot one, the rest smell the blood and they go wild. But I have never seen anything like this in my life. If a farmer did this sort of thing he would be locked up.”
The shooting was eventually stopped by a group of marines who had been assigned to help move the animals off the farm, but last night other local farmers condemned the Ministry’s handling of the outbreak, the 164th in Devon. Farmer Gordon Willmetts was on the verge of tears as he told how the surviving cattle ended up among his previously uninfected sheep –which will now have to be slaughtered as dangerous contacts. “You can see they are infected because they are dribbling,” he said. “This is a total disgrace. “The cattle were running up and down the field, totally out of control. I have never felt so so sickened by anything in my life. There were certainly more shots than the number of animals killed, but I have no idea how many were wounded.” And neighbouring farmer Bill Norman said “This is purely the result of sending out people who have no experience of handling cattle. If they had let a stockman take charge there would have been none of this. It’s totally scandalous.”
Regional director of the NFU Anthony Gibson has now called for a full inquiry. “If the allegations we have heard are true then this is totally appalling,” he said. “It is stupid for them to have just gone blundering into a group of bullocks especially when they had been advised by the farmer that it would be a pretty daft thing to do.” Last night a Ministry spokesman insisted the slaughtermen had been using an “approved” method. “They were in a difficult handling position,” he said. “They shot six but spooked the rest, which broke through onto the neighbouring farm. We are now looking at a safe method of slaughtering the other 19, either dealing with them where they are or driving them back onto their home farm.”
But the outbreak has kindled fears that North Devon could be hit by another cluster of cases – and so could Exmoor, just a few miles to the north. Mr Stanbury has cattle at eight farms around the area. They were turned out to grass last week after being given a clean bill of health by a team of Ministry vets. Now all of them are being checked again along with hundreds of animals on nearby farms. A theory already being advanced is that the disease could have spread to Knowstone in smoke from a huge cattle pyre lit in Meshaw, just to the south, a little over three weeks ago. One farmer said last night: “Knowstone was completely blacked out by the smoke. People were picking unburned cattle hairs off walls and gates for days afterwards.”
But the outbreak also means more bad news for Exmoor national park, part of which has now been included in a new infected area. Local businessmen were hoping for the early removal of restrictions on countryside access. But these could stay in place for another six weeks – long enough to wipe out the entire holiday season.

Anti-hunt man denies changing sides, Western Daily Press
The former head of West Country operations for the League Against Cruel Sports has admitted that hunting with hounds is an essential part of the management of deer on Exmoor and the Quantocks. Graham Sirl, who was also in charge of the LACS Baronsdown sanctuary just outside Dulverton, left the anti-hunt organisation in March after nine years. And, although he insists he has not changed his view that hunting with hounds is unneccessary and involves cruelty to the individual deer, he has warned that a total ban would lead to the decimation of the deer population.
He said: "In some instances, hunting in general is a constitutive part of West Country rural community life. Those who don't acknowledge this to be true, or similarly choose to ignore it, are turning their backs on an argument they know is difficult to win." Mr Sirl denied he had "gone over to the other side" and pledged to continue his campaign against hunting and for the proper protection of wildlife. But, he said, the present deer population was managed "through the management of the people. "Take away hunting and the management system will break down - hence the urgent necessity to introduce regional/local deer management groups. Sadly a ban on hunting will not save one animal's life."

Read Graham Sirl's letter in full ................

Exmoor farmer who fought cull wins by Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor for The Times, Friday, 11th May
A herd of nearly 1000 healthy beef cattle on Exmoor was saved from slaughter yesterday after the Ministry of Agriculture declared that the animals no longer posed a risk of spreading foot-and-mouth. The Thomas-Everard family of Broford Farm were jubilant at the reprieve. The about-turn came when blood tests on a calf from the neighbouring Maundown dairy farm proved negative. A ministry statement said: "In the light of this the epidemiologists concluded that the farm was not a dangerous contact."
Guy Thomas-Everard, 31, who owns the herd at the 900 acre Broford Farm, near Dulverton, Somerset, said that he was planning to get on with his wedding plans for May 19. he had blocked his farm entrance with a lorry to prevent slaughtermen killing his cattle which he said were healthy. He commiserated with farmers who had not been as successful and called for an inquiry into the handling of the disease - "not onoy how it happened and how to stop it again, but the way it's been handled, the bullying that's gone on, the way people have been treated, and the pressure on the National Park here." The NFU in the South West criticised the ministry's "exaggerated and misleading statements" about the risks at the farm. It said: "Had we been given a more balanced and accurate assessment of the situation, we would have reached a very different conclusion."
Mr Thomas-Everard had even been granted a special licence to leave his farm to be married to Julia Fairey, 33, a land agent, in Cambridgeshire in eight days' time. Broford Farm was initially named a risky contact farm when minitry vets learnt that Robert Norman, a contract farm worker whose own cattle were found to have the disease at Wiveliscombe, Somerset, had visited the premises.

Couple's joy as herd is saved, Richard Savill, Daily Telegraph, Friday, 11th May
The Exmoor family who barricaded their farm for five days to pevent almost 1000 healthy beef cattle being culled were "overjoyed" yesterday after MAFF abandoned slaughter plans. Now Guy Thomas-Everard, 31, can turn his attention to his wedding in Cambridgeshire next week, when he will marry Julia Fairey, 33, a land agent. "It is wonderful news, said Miss Fairey after the final fitting of her wedding dress. "What a champagne celebration it will be".
Mr Thomas-Everard, supported by villagers, blocked Broford Farm, near Dulverton, Somerset with a cattle truck and hay roller to keep out the slaughtermen. MAFF had issued the family with a special licence to attend the wedding but it will not be needed after experts said the pedigree herd no longer posed a risk. On the "veterinary advice available", MAFF previously judged the farm to be a dangerous contact as it had been visited by a contractor whose cattle had been diagnosed as having the disease. The ministry said yesterday: "New information came to light that blood tests from a farm linked to his case were negative". The NFU criticised MAFF's "misleading statements" about the risk at the farm, which led the NFU to support a cull.

Defiant Exmoor farmer celebrates cull reprive, Peter Whittlesea, Western Morning News, Friday, 11th May
A defiant Exmoor family's Aberdeen Angus herd was saved from slaughter yesterday after the Ministry of Agriculture granted them a reprieve. Guy Thomas-Everard was delighted after MAFF tests revealed the family farm near Dulverton was no longer classified as a dangerous cojtact, meaning his livestock would be spared.

Nightmare is over - All-clear for the wedding, Cilla Webb, Somerset County Gazette, Friday, 11th May
Wedding bells were probably the last thing on farmer Guy Thomas-Everard's mind as he fought to save his cattle. His faincee Juliua Fairey, 31, a land agent who works in Exeter, but lives just a mile from the farm, could have been missing a vital guest in Cambridgeshire next Saturday. Guy and his parents, Christopher and Roshaise, had to get special permission to leave the farm after a MAFF vet slapped a notice on it last Sunday, effectively banning all movement. "Luckily when I explained the situation, he issued me a licence on the spot," said Guy. "He's probably the only vet to have used his powers to ensure the marriage went ahead."

NFU raps MAFF on Broford herd issue, Somerset County Gazette, Friday, 11th May
The Ministry of Agriculture was faxing growing criticism yesterday for its handling of the Broford Farm herd. The NFU which initially backed MAFF's stance on the cull, responded angrily. "The NFU is concerned at the exaggerated and misleading statements which MAFF has made about the degree of risk associated with Broford Farm and Robert Norman which led it to support the recommendation that the cattle should be slaughtered," said a spokesman. "Had we been given a more balanced and accurate assessment of the situation, then we would have reached a very different conclusion." The spokesman said that Broford was regarded as a dangerous contact only because of suspected foot-and-mouth in a calf handled at Maundown Dairy Farm by Mr Norman. However test results on the animal had subsequently proved negative.

Victory by Ruth Wood for the Western Daily Press, Friday 11th May
A JUBILANT West farmer cracked open the bubbly yesterday as the death sentence on his healthy cattle was lifted.For days Guy Thomas-Everard had manned the barricades at Broford Farm on Exmoor to prevent the slaughter of his 1,000-strong herd.Yesterday the 31-year-old and his fiancee Julia Fairey, 33, celebrated the Ministry of Agriculture’s sudden U-turn.Now the couple, who took on the might of MAFF and won, will be able to put the foot-and-mouth crisis behind them and look forward to getting married in eight days’ time.

Support
The surprise climbdown – just a day after the General Election was announced –was viewed with suspicion by some observers last night.The move came as a shocking MAFF report revealed thousands of animals may have died in vain because nearly 30 per cent of so-called confirmed cases later proved negative.But Mr Thomas-Everard, who owns the 1,000-acre farm near Dulverton, Somerset, was delighted with his victory. "I’m over the moon,” he said. “It’s taking a while to sink in, it’s been a very hectic few days. We couldn’t have done it without the support of our neighbours. “It’s been a harrowing time for me and equally for my neighbours. Now we can breathe a huge sigh of relief.” Ministry officials labelled the farm a dangerous contact after it was visited by Robert Norman, the contract worker linked to the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Wiveliscombe. But yesterday officials agreed the farm was not a high risk.
Despite his victory, a tired Mr Thomas–Everard was bitter about the battle with officials.“It has been a week of sheer hell and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” he said. “I’ve have had so many calls from people who have suffered far, far worse than us. We have heard horrific stories about the way in which MAFF have bullied families. “There must be a public inquiry, not just into the origins of foot-and-mouth disease, but into the dehumanising way in which individuals have been dealt with throughout this crisis. “Behind the barricades, it was a siege mentality and it was hard to remain lucid and coherent to MAFF officials when I couldn’t even sleep. “If I’d ever thought my cattle were high risk, I would have thrown open the gates and let the slaughtermen in immediately. But there was never any doubt in my mind. And now common sense has prevailed.” MAFF said the decision to class the farm as a dangerous contact was based on veterinary advice. A spokesman said: “Subsequently new information came to light, in particular, blood tests from a farm linked to this case were negative.”After a clinical examination the restrictions on the farm will be lifted with regular veterinary surveillance maintained.” The timing of the Ministry’s U-turn – the day after the calling of a General Election was seen by some as suspicious. But rumours that it was a pre-election publicity stunt were dismissed by Somerset’s National Farmers’ Union spokesman Oliver Edwards. However he condemned the “exaggerated” and “misleading” statements made about the degree of risk associated with Broford Farm and Robert Norman which led the union to support MAFF’s recommendation to slaughter the cattle. “Had we been given a more balanced and accurate assessment of the situation, we would have reached a very different conclusion,” he said. Mr Edwards said the family’s farm was regarded as a dangerous contact because of the suspected case of foot-and-mouth in a calf at Maundown Dairy Farm. Blood tests on the calf have now come back negative. The calf had been handled by contract worker Robert Norman on the day after his last contact with Broford Farm. “The way in which the Thomas-Everards have been handled in this affair is absolutely diabolical,” added Mr Edwards. Miss Fairey said: “What we have been through I can’t even describe. The feeling of relief is immense. Now we can get on with the rest of our lives, our future and our marriage.” Miss Fairey, whose parents are farmers in Cambridgeshire, and her fiance are due to tie the knot in front of 180 guests on May 19. Mr Thomas-Everard said: “A vet had to issue us with a special licence to leave the farm so that we could attend the wedding. He was probably the first vet ever to issue a marriage licence and we will be forever grateful to him.”
Also celebrating yesterday was Mr Thomas-Everard’s parents Christopher, 60, and Rohaise, 59, who live at the farm along with their daughter Delly and Mrs Thomas-Everard’s father Eudo. It was Christopher Thomas-Everard, twice High Sheriff of Somerset, who originally set up the barricades after alerting his son. “European regulations say the longest time for incubation of the disease is 12 days. It is now day 15. I feel totally vindicated,” he said. “MAFF want to carry out another inspection on day 21 and then we are out of the woods. “However, we have learnt a lot about foot-and-mouth disease over the past week and we are taking huge care. It’s unlikely we would move our animals for a long time.”

Business people from Exmoor join a rally in London yesterday seeking an emergency aid package to help combat the effects of foot-and-mouth, Western Morning News, Thursday, 10th May
Exmoor business leaders put their bid for aid to Tourist Minister Janet Anderson earlier this month. They are seeking:
Interest free loans of up to £10,000 for businesses in the national park.
A compensation package to cover losses incurred since the outbreak of FMD. This compensation would be based upon the statistics calculated from West Somerset District Council's hardship questionnaire.
A paid-to-train shceme. This would finance re-training for staff that would be laid off, or have been laid off, from businesses affected by FMD.
More help for the Exmoor Trust which has already received £25,000 to provide financial support for individuals who have been made redundant.
A Moorland marketing bureau to help regenerate businesses on Dartmoor and Exmoor.

LATEST ................ Exmoor Farmer fights MAFF decision to slaughter his 1000 healthy cattle, Monday, 7th May
Read More ...................

Exmoor under threat from new outbreak in Somerset by Richard Savill, Daily Telegraph, Saturday, 5th May
A fresh outbreak of foot and mouth in Somerset, an area declared free of the disease 12 days ago, could be "very serious" and may spread to Exmoor, a MAFF official warned yesterday. David Bowman, divisional veterinary officer, said he was "extremely worried" by the outbreak near Wiveliscombe, a few miles from the moor. He described the risk of the disease spreading at "the higher reaches of one to 10". He said: "We are trying to take out as many dangerous contacts as we can identify to stop the virus." But one angry farmer said: "Everyone is shocked by the way the ministry seems intent on slaughtering everything, despite what the Government has promised on sparing rare breeds and cattle on contiguous culls. We all believe the rules have been thrown out of the window because the Government doesn't want a fresh outbreak in a new area in the run-up to an election."
Cattle at a farm in Wiveliscombe were confirmed as having the disease on Wednesday. Two other cases at nearby Shodden were confirmed in the past two days. MAFF was trying to trace the movements of a self-employed agricultural contractor, who has visited 15 farms in the area in the course of his work in recent weeks, and may have unwittingly spread the disease. Meanwhole, the local tourism industry was facing a bleak Bank Holiday weekend. Plans to re-open some footpaths in Exmoor have been postponed as a result of the outbreaks. All footpaths have already been closed for several weeks. David Bailey, who owns the White Hart Hotel at Wiveliscombe, said he had lost £8,500 in bookings following the new outbreak. "It has been devastating, we usually have 60 people on Friday lunchtime but we have had only two."
Before the new outbreak Somerset had only had one previously confirmed case.

Deer TB scare on Exmoor by Vic Gardner, The Countryman's Weekly, 4th May
Following the slaughter by the National Trust of 72 red deer after two hinds tested positive for bovine TB at Charlcote park in the Milands, fears have been expressed for red deer on a League Aainst Cruel Sports sanctuary and elsewhere on Exmoor. Read More .............

Pleas from Exmoor, Western Morning News, Friday, 4th May
Exmoor business leaders are demanding that the Chancellor of the Exchequer provides an emergency aid package to help businesses affected by foot and mouth. And next week a delegation will take their campaign direct to 11 Downing Street. Mike Ellicott said they were going to lobby Gordon Brown on May 9, because every business in Greater Exmoor had been affected by foot and mouth. "It is very important to bring to the attention of Government and MPs the plight of businesses within the national parks of Great Britain," he said, adding that they wanted to present the Chancellor with a bill for their accumulated losses. "The amount on the bill we are presenting is not just a figure plucked out of the blue. It is an educated assessment of the total losses to businesses on Exmoor," he said.

Cheers for Exmoor, Somerset County Gazette, Friday, 4th May
Wiveliscombe-based Exmoor Ales has won awards with two of its beers - Exmoor Beast and Exmoor Gold. Britain's first single-malt beer, cask-conditioned beer Exmoor Gold earned silver at the West Country Food Awards and a bronze award at the SIBA Maltings Beer Festival in Devon. Exmoor Beast - an extra strong brew - took first in its category, also at SIBA. Exmoor Ales picked up a silver award in the Taste of the West organised West Country Food Awards.
The success follows increased sales of the bottled beer throughout the UK., Sainsburys, Asda and Spar all sell the popular beer and up to 100,000 bottles are filled each month at Burton-on-Trent. "Obviously we are pleased to receive this award which is widely recognised as a mark of excellence," said Exmoor Ales director Peter Turner.
Based at Golden Hill brewery in Wiveliscombe, Exmoor Ales produces five permanent beers and four seasonal ones.

Threat that shows danger of relaxing, Western Daily Press, Thursday, 3rd May
The devastating news from Somerset of a new foot-and-mouth case, just as thoughts were turning to better days ahead, shows what a dangerous foe this dreadful virus is. Suddenly the prospect of restrictions on farmers being lifted and the vital tourist industry getting a desperately-needed boost with the re-opening of footpaths to attract walkers in for the Bank Holiday weekend have been snatched away. But worrying as the outbreak is, there are some very solid reasons for guarded optimism that it has already been nipped in the bud. First and foremost is the speed of the response, in marked contrast to some earlier occasions. Vets had slaughtered all ten of the affected cattle within hours of their testing positive for the disease. Also, their location, close to Wiveliscombe town centre, meant they were not close to any other farms. The speed of the risk assessment, and the right action, should also help minimise the dangers of further spread, dangers which cannot be stressed too strongly. We must all pray that livestock on the other farms recently visited by the owner of the cattle put down yesterday, and also the 3,000 deer on Exmoor, are not as much at risk as feared. But whatever measures have to be taken, and no matter how frustrating any new restrictions, we must all accept that they are the price that has to be paid to stop this foe in its tracks.

Anti Hunting group set to quit West HQ by Chris Rundle, Western Daily Press, Thursday, 3rd May
Britain's leading anti-hunt organisation is poised to leave its West Country base. The League Against Cruel Sports could be pulling out of St Nicholas Priory on Exmoor after more than 30 years because of rising costs. But last night former head of its West Country operations warned the proposal would infuriate hundreds of League members. The Priory in the Exe Valley near Dulverton, is next to Baronsdown, the largest of the League's Exmoor deer sanctuaries. It has been used as the home of successive sanctuary managers, but also includes offices, meeting rooms and a small visitor centre. Thousands of supporters regularly attended annual open days there over the years. But minutes of a recent meeting of the League executive, obtained by the Western Daily Press, reveal the property is now being earmarked for sale. More than £128,000 has been spent on the house and buildings in recent years. But, officials argued at the meeting, the house was far bigger than was needed for manager's accommodation and the other buildings were not well suited to their current use. The league will now draw up plans to conver the complex into an education or conservation centre in a bid to win Heritage Lottery funding, but if that fails, or better premises can be found, the property will be sold.
Last night Graham Sirl, head of West Country operations until he left the League earlier this year following a dispute, warned that West supporters in particular would be "outraged" by any move to dispose of the priory. "It has been the nerve centre for the League in the West Country and it will be a severe blow to its prestige if it gets sold off. It's also going to upset a lot of members who have raised money and supported fund-raising projects to get it into its current condition." The League was unable to provide a spokesman last night.

The following has been received from MAFF concerning Westlake Farm, dated 2nd May:  
Westlake Farm is being prepared as a contingency transit site, in the event that FMD spreads into the surrounding area.  A letter explaining the reason for the construction of the site has been sent to The Society for the Protection of Re-homing of Animals, Angela Browning MP., Nick Harvey MP., Tom King MP., and Jackie Ballard MP. The main points made in this letter were as follows:

Director of Operations, Dr peter Greig-Smith (successor to Andy Lebrecht) said:

"Presently, there is no intention of using this site for any purpose other than as a transit area.  As things stand, the Ministry does not need to use the transit capability of Westlake Farm because we have sufficient disposal and holding capability in other parts of Devon and, whilst the site is within the Infected Area of Devon, there are no slaughter cases in and around the site.  In practice, this means the facility will not be required unless there is a significant outbreak north of the North Devon Link Road (A361)".

The Ministry is keen to have contingency plans in place in this area because:

More than 55 sites around the county were considered before Westlake Farm was chosen as a potential transit site.  One of the main priorities in identifying a site was to locate an area in mid/north Devon which was close to good communication links.  Westlake Farm met these cirteria better than any other site. The use of Westlake Farm as a transit area has been agreed with the Environment Agency and Mid Devon District Council.  The site is being constructed to specifications set down by the Environment Agency (EA) and, should the need arise to make use of the site, the Ministry would introduce a monitoring programme in consultation with the EA.   Ends.

Exmoor under foot and mouth looks like Exmoor under a hunting ban by Rupert Bates for The Field, May 2001
Country conspiracy theorists believe foot and mouth was deliberately unleashed by Tony Blair to silence the rural hounds he cannot bring to heel. Mud, to the Prime Minister, is a Seventies pop band he aspired to play in. May I suggest our leader drives down to Exmoor, providing he disinfects his wheels and his mouth, for there being played out is a dress rehearsal for the tragedy the Labour Party is directing called "The Hunting Ban"? Of course, foot and mouth is a product of natural pestilence rather than a result of Government interference, but the effect is the same.
"The consequences of the foot and mouth outbreak on the economy of Exmoor are devastating. Hotels, shops and pubs are haemorrhaging and laying off staff," says James Green of Stags. "Exmoor is closed, littered with signs saying, 'Is your journey necessary?' The rural wheel has stopped turning here, just as it will if hunting is banned."
Pubs that traditionally do 100 Sunday lunches at this time of year barely break into double figures. Holiday cottages lie empty; bookings cancelled. Local newsagents cannot shift their weekend papers. No fishing parties fill the sporting hotels and there is no meet movement from the Shires to spring staghunting on Exmoor. Horses kept all winter as hirelings stand idle. Farriers used to an Imelda Marcos run on shoes, have no work for their anvils. This is Exmoor under foot and mouth; this would be Exmoor under a hunting ban.

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