FARMERS in Kirklees face even more hardship as a new blue tongue disease zone comes into force.
Less than 24 hours after the lifting of all foot and mouth restrictions a blue tongue zone imposed on much of Yorkshire has effectively cut the region off during a busy livestock harvesting period.
No animals can be moved out of the zone, which covers all of South Yorkshire, the East Riding and part of West Yorkshire as far north as the M62.
This means farmers in Kirklees can’t take their sheep to market in Otley or Skipton.
This will have a massive impact on farmers who have thousands of sheep on the moors above Holmfirth.
Tim Coy, of National Farmers’ Union Mutual in Honley, said it was another bitter blow for farmers.
He said: “There are no infected animals in the area, but we fall into the 150-kilometre protection zone as there’s been a case in Peterborough.
“It’s another massive disruption for the natural movement of stock.”
Mr Coy said prices for sheep were down by more than a third and it was likely to be at least two clear years before the zone was lifted.
NFU regional director Richard Ellison said: “Farming is a notoriously resilient industry, but this year is testing everyone to breaking point.
“Foot and mouth resulted in many key autumn sales being cancelled or postponed, so we have a huge backlog of animals waiting to be sold.
“Hill farmers are facing a race against time and the winter weather to get animals off the moors.”
Local farmer Richard Haigh said he had slashed lamb prices at his farm shop in Mirfield to try and help suppliers.
But he said the country’s biggest stores were leaving prices high, which was bad news for the farming industry.
Blue tongue, a viral disease carried by midges, has previously had up to a 70% death rate among flocks of sheep in Holland and Belgium.
The NFU regards vaccination as the ultimate solution, but it is not yet available in the UK.
