meat is murder

Farmers that farm animals are cost money by the outbreak of disease that affects farmed animals. An obvious solution would seem to be to stop farming animals.

Farmers’ £40m foot-and-mouth bill

The foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2007 may have cost Welsh farmers more than £40m, a Welsh assembly committee has found.

The finance committee also highlighted an ongoing dispute between the governments in Cardiff and London over who should pay any compensation.

A separate assembly report concluded the UK Treasury should compensate Welsh farmers.

The foot-and-mouth outbreak was discovered in Surrey in August, but there were no cases in Wales.

However, the outbreak had an impact on the rural economy across the whole of the UK.

Restrictions were placed on the movement and trade of animals following the August outbreak and a second one in September.

Farmers in Wales did not automatically receive compensation because no animals were slaughtered due to the disease, but the Welsh assembly’s finance committee said “the effect on the Welsh farming industry was immediate and severe”.

The restrictions meant animals could not be sent to the abattoir which lead to a loss of income and the additional cost of feed.

Hill farmers are facing a winter having lost half their income Dai Davies, NFU Wales president

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Wales put the cost “in excess of £40m”.

The finance committee, which is made up of AMs from all parties, pointed to evidence the outbreak came from a research facility at Pirbright that was licensed by the UK government.

The assembly government has already agreed extra funding for aid schemes including one to promote red meat.

But the AMs noted that just over half of the £7m allocated to the schemes had actually been spent.

The Remainder of the story at BBC