Cattle so close to a calamity
Walking gingerly and with udders swollen to three times their normal size, the cows on Paul Thexton's farm in Shropshire are having a painful introduction to motherhood.
Calving in the last few days has given Mr Thexton a logistical headache and put his prized stock in need of welfare treatment.
He desperately needs to move the cows from their summer grazing field back to his farm at Sheriffhales, three miles away, but movement restrictions imposed as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak have prevented their return.
The enormous build-up of milk is causing tremendous pain for the cows
Mr Thexton said they were at huge risk of mastitis, which could affect their health and productivity. Had Defra not lifted restrictions on movement just a few hours ago, he could have a calamity on his hands.
"It has been touch and go for the last few days," he said. "As soon as a cow calves you need to get her to milk because they produce about 30 litres a day and the calf only drinks about three of them.
"The build-up is enormous and milking relieves the pressure. Without that they are in tremendous pain and have been ever since we've been prevented from taking them back to the farm base."
Mr Thexton has only 14 cows on grazing land, two of which have calved in the last three days, but said hundreds of other farmers would be in the same boat.
"If anything qualified for a welfare licence then this is it," he said.
"Yet it is impossible to get hold of anyone to talk about it. I rang a supposed RSPCA hotline and they referred me to Defra because they didn't seem to know anything about the situation.
A ban still remains in place on the transportation of animals from farm to market.
* Defra confirmed last night that two temporary control zones in Kent and Surrey, set up to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease, have been lifted.
The decision is based on further negative laboratory results for the disease and supporting veterinary advice.
Earlier yesterday, preliminary tests on a farm in the Romney Marsh area of Kent and on animals at Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo in Surrey proved negative.
