Suspect sheep at welsh abattoir - farmers weekly

13 March 2001 Suspect sheep at Welsh abattoir _BY ROBERT DAVIES, WALES CORRESPONDENT_ ONE of the biggest abattoirs in Wales has been quarantined as a precaution after a local farmer unloaded

23 lame sheep at the lairage. The sheep in a consignment of 49 animals from a farm at Llanfair Caereinion, Powys, that arrived at Hamer Internationals Llanidloes plant. Over 1000 sheep were

already penned and other farmers were on the site delivering stock when the animals arrived on Monday (12 March). Veterinary inspectors closed the plant and all vehicles will be

disinfected. Farmers who might have had contact with the suspect sheep were advised to telephone home for a complete change of clothing before leaving the abattoir. Samples were taken for

testing at Pirbright in Surrey. General manager Paul Brown said results were expected late on Tuesday (13 March). Farmers Union of Wales president Bob Parry was shocked by the news that

unfit animals had been sent for slaughter under the emergency licensing system. “The responsibility to ensure that livestock is completely healthy rests with the farmer, and it is a

responsibility that must not be taken lightly,” he insisted. “Farmers have a duty not only to themselves, but also to their friends and neighbours in the farming community to ensure this

disease is totally eradicated.”