John Cooper the league's chairman said: The purpose of expanding the loans scheme was to
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John Cooper, the league's chairman, said: "The purpose of expanding the loans scheme was to help legitimate rural businesses in genuine distress as a result of foot-and-mouth, not fund the those involved in bloodsports."It's entirely unacceptable that government money should be taken advantage of to prop up those engaged in a pastime we expect to be banned within two years. Any monies owed when a ban on hunting with dogs is enforced with effect come out of the public's pockets." He said anti-hunting MPs would take up the issue after the Commons Easter recess ended next week.Last night a spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry, which administers the scheme, said: "Each loan is considered by the loaner on a case-by-case basis.". Thousands of animals slaughtered on suspicion of having foot-and-mouth disease were not infected, subsequent blood tests have shown. Thousands of animals slaughtered on suspicion of having foot-and-mouth disease were not infected, subsequent blood tests have shown.More than half of cases where vets were in doubt about the presence of the disease later tested negative, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said.But Maff officials and farmers' leaders insisted that culling animals on suspicion of having the disease was essential to prevent the possible spread of foot-and-mouth while laboratory tests were done.Details of the extent of the preventive slaughter came after news that livestock on the farm that prompted the cancellation of this year's National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham eventually tested negative for the disease.A total of 186 cattle, 190 ewes and 100 lambs were slaughtered at Bozard Farm, in Woolstone, just a short distance from Cheltenham racecourse after vets found clinical signs of the disease. Livestock was also culled at neighbouring farms.A spokesman for Maff said livestock had been slaughtered on suspicion at about 160 farms But no disease had been found in "more than half" of cases. Maff officials insist it is essential to cull animals on suspicion to prevent disease spreading while vets await test results. Under the Government's slaughter policy, vets have discretion to order a cull if they suspect livestock have foot-and-mouth disease.In clear-cut cases, vets diagnose cases from clinical symptoms alone, and confirm an outbreak in a telephone call to Maff's national disease control centre in London, triggering an immediate cull of animals on the infected farm and neighbouring holdings.In cases where vets are unsure, they can order a cull of animals on the suspect farm, but slaughter on neighbouring premises is put on hold until the disease is confirmed.A Maff spokesman said: "Test results take four to five days to come through because there are a series of tests for foot-and-mouth."We can't wait for five days to cull the animals, but when farms are culled on suspicion we don't do the contiguous cull until those results come through one way or another We are trying to make a proportionate response.
We need to stamp out the disease, but we need to be proportionate as unnecessary slaughter holds up the disposal of animals."Edward Gillespie, managing director of Cheltenham Racecourse, dismissed suggestions that the Gold Cup festival could have been saved had the Woolstone case not emerged.Cases confirmed in the nearby villages of Teddington and Boddington would have forced the race meeting to be cancelled in any event, he said."Maff are still treating it as a confirmed case. My reaction was one of extreme sorrow for the farmers and their neighbours all of whom lost their stock," he said.The National Farmers' Union backed the cull. "With a virus of this nature it's understandable to err on the side of caution because it can spread very quickly. It's galling for farmers but it would be more galling if there was a suspect case which spread while farmers were waiting for tests.". The foot-and-mouth epidemic could plunge Britain into recession unless it is brought under control quickly, according to a report by a leading business organisation published yesterday.
The foot-and-mouth epidemic could plunge Britain into recession unless it is brought under control quickly, according to a report by a leading business organisation published yesterday.The Institute of Directors (IoD) said the total cost of the disease could reach £40bn equivalent to 4 per cent of the country's economic output Last year the economy grew by 3 per cent. The report came as official figures showed the price of meat in British shops surged last month when the cull of livestock triggered a shortage of animals for the food market.The IoD said it believed the cost of the epidemic to the economy had already reached £20bn twice the size of the previous highest forecast. Its estimate was based on an informal survey of 600 members, in which more than a third said their business had been affected.The average loss of profit so far was £50,000. But the IoD warned this could rise to about £125,000 if the outbreak lasted until the end of July. For bigger firms, employing up to 249 people, the average loss so far stood at £200,000, although that was predicted to rise to £500,000.More than half of the large firms questioned said they had suffered, compared with 38 per cent of medium-size firms and 31 per cent of small firms. Almost one in three "micro" firms, employing no more than nine workers, had also lost business. The IoD said a crude extrapolation of the results to all 3.7 million British businesses gave a total loss so far of £20bn, rising to £40bn if the crisis continued for three months.Ruth Lea, head of the IoD's policy unit, said: "The foot-and-mouth outbreak is clearly having a major impact on many businesses, and not just farming These are not trivial sums.