JANUARY 18, 2008: The foot-and-mouth outbreak last year may have cost Welsh farmers more than £40m, it is claimed.
The Welsh Assembly finance committee also highlighted an ongoing dispute between the governments in Cardiff and London over who should pay any compensation. A separate assembly report said 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. But, 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.
