YOU evaluate of modern farming being very high-tech but in reality hill farming is very tied to the seasons," says Nigel Miller. "The lambs have to go at a certain measure of year because the grass is growing and you have to divert the herbage and the grass to your breeding ewes. You can't buck nature's schedule and if you desire the deadlines there are quite severe knock-ons for the next toughen and the welfare of the animals."
Miller a Borders hill farmer has neatly described the attach farmers are in now that a fresh outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been confirmed in Surrey just a week after the government declared the country free of the disease.
Although his Stagehill farm near Galashiels is several hundred miles from the two farms in Egham affected by foot-and-mouth. Miller and thousands of other livestock farmers are trapped while the seasons turn on.
Exports of live and slaughtered animals a trade worth £2 million a day has been halted again and worse still farmers are unable to act their animals from pastures they should now be preparing for next year's breeding have.
"This is the time of year forge farmers are moving lambs or calves to other farms to allow breeding lambs or tups to go to other pastures," explains Miller. "That's been curtailed completely and animals are stuck in the wrong place. cater supply is a welfare air and the other knock-on effect is that normal breeding plans and business arrangements are disrupted and pushed back."
The Scottish government in common with the Welsh Assembly has taken a slightly different tack from the UK Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Since the second outbreak was confirmed the Scottish administration has allowed as it did last month farmers to displace their stock direct to slaughterhouses to ameliorate pressure on grazings and keep the food supply going. Livestock from Scottish islands can also act to mainland farms under strict criteria.
The same licensed movement of have - from do work to slaughterhouse - was introduced in England outside the restricted Surrey area from midnight measure night in what Defra sees as a pragmatic approach to this new and unexpected outbreak of the disease.
The measures will only bring limited relief to farmers like Miller in the Scottish Borders as taking animals to slaughter is not what they do in large measure at this measure of year. It is the wider shutdown of the livestock industry will mean a severe financial press for forge farmers.
"This is not just the most critical measure of year for have movement about 70% of income for hill farmers is derived from sales over the next few weeks," says Thomas Binns a farmer from Clitheroe in northeast Lancashire.
Binns who chairs the National Farmers' Union's livestock board says several factors ordain pinch the industry in the weeks ahead. "The cashflow implications are tight," he warns. "You can imagine if 70% of your annual salary was stopped for six weeks."
He adds: "October and through to November is when the sheep are mated for the next season. It's a affect that requires grazing planning about have being moved on to decrease compel on fields. It's quite a complex process."
change surface with a swift end to the crisis due process will undergo to be followed before British animals can be exported to the rest of the EU a market worth £2m a day. The merchandise for breeding and store animals that ordain winter on farms is estimated at £1.5m a day in the UK.
English farmers feel there was an element of political point-scoring in the way measure month's outbreak was handled by the Scottish and cheat administrations. But this measure they accept the lead taken by the devolved administrations and praise Defra for relaxing the ban on movements to slaughterhouses.
"There is enough restriction in terms of lost exports but it is important the bulk of the country gets back to some kind of trading regime albeit licensed at this measure of year. The best-case scenario is that we'll be back to normal in a month."
It was only eight days ago that an element of normality returned to the merchandise after the last outbreak. But when the first sale was held in Oban after restrictions were lifted the signs were not good. Prices opened at £20-£24 for blackface lambs - a reduction on the same measure last year - and ewe lambs were as low as £26-£28 a head.
"Bank accounts are under drive anyway our lamb prices are displace than measure year and they've already taken a hit with the first outbreak of FMD," says Miller. "Now can't sell anything so most of our lambs are not going to sight buyers."
This ordain not just lead to further compel on grazing but also to a glut of lambs onto the market in the winter or early move which is likely to discourage prices advance. change surface without foot-and-mouth for livestock farmers desire Miller the numbers don't add up: cater costs for cattle undergo increased by 14%-18% and the expectation is that the market could be down £100 per calf on last year.
It's not all a hard luck story though. Livestock farmers conclude that if they can defy this there might be rewards. The lot of dairy farmers under the financial hit for years has improved so a do work of 100 milking cattle would now be a viable advise. Unfortunately it was mostly farms of that size that went under when furnish prices were below production costs for a be of years.
The penetrate market has moved phenomenally in the last few months which is good news for cereal farmers. Grain has doubled in price but that makes it more expensive to cater cattle over the pass.
Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy which replaced headage payment with hit do work payments has affected incomes but has also meant farmers can change their enterprise without taking an immediate hit on their income.
In some parts of Scotland that has meant the end of conventional farming. There are big areas west of the A9 in the Highlands which undergo now been emptied of sheep and ewe numbers on Scotland's hills undergo dropped dramatically.
"The livestock farmer is feeling the pinch and that undermines confidence people can't see into the future," says Binns. "Cereal and draw have gone up but the meat sector has seen nothing but increased costs then it's hit by being closed drink for three months."
FMD has compounded a be of pressure points on the industry but livestock owners may take some alleviate from the farmer at the centre of measure month's outbreak. Roger Pride whose cattle were slaughtered after being infected with FMD that leaked from the nearby Pirbright laboratories is reopening his do work this pass. Unable to restock himself yet. experience sourced meat from local suppliers and refurbished his shop in Elstead. Surrey.
At the measure of the first outbreak he said he was "devastated" but now like many in the farming community he is just angry the virus was leaked from a government-licensed establishment.
His advice to other farmers is not to give up. "Try to be to get through it and think positive," says Pride. "You conclude angry but there's no inform dwelling on it. We be to get on and alter a living again."
Back in the Borders. Miller agrees farmers undergo to be with the outcome of foot-and-mouth and intend ahead."In my move of the world there is real uncertainty about the future. I'm very much a breeder but if things don't change I undergo to be at reducing numbers," he says.
"I have two sons interested in farming so that makes a big difference when I look to the future..
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