Government is to blame

IT seems that one aspect of W. Newson's letter hasn't been answered the issue of insurance.

Animals, like people, are vulnerable to disease or accident, and farmers do their best to prevent anything happening to them.

It would be very expensive to insure against all risks.

There are diseases which can arrive on farms through no fault of the farmer and which can devastate the herd, such as foot and mouth, TB, brucellosis and BSE.

In the interests of public health the state takes ultimate responsibility for these. They are notifiable diseases, and the state pays compensation for having to slaughter animals which become victims.

The level of compensation used to be moderate, and farmers insured for a top-up. It seems that as incomes have become increasingly under pressure and farmers urged to become more efficient and cut costs, expensive insurance was dispensed with by many.

In the case of foot and mouth, the risk seemed slight after over 30 years without it occurring on mainland Britain. The state is responsible for instituting measures to prevent it coming into the country.

BSE was a disease which came about through a change in the processing of meat and bonemeal for feed and fertiliser, a change instituted by the government.

Therefore the blame should be laid at the feet of the state, which has paid the price.

TB is undoubtedly spread to cattle from sick badgers. The escarpment south of Swindon is full of them, and nearly every farm on the escarpment is closed down with TB due to an explosion in the badger population.

This has a cost to the farmer and for the duration of the Krebs trials the state pays full compensation for the culled stock (though not for consequential loss) because the state does not allow farmers to control badgers so the state must take responsibility when a farm goes down with TB.

It is all very well saying that farmers should insure, but in my case the premium for BSE grew to three times the value of one cow.

In any case BSE has almost been eradicated in the UK but it is increasing in Europe.

I do insure for foot and mouth, but the insurance company will not take on new business from those who didn't insure prior to the outbreak. I don't know, but I suspect with the huge rise in TB outbreaks the premium for that disease for any new business would be outrageous.

And finally, Christopher Cox of Lycetts, the largest independent broker of farm and estates insurance, has said that removing government compensation for a disease like TB would be fraught with problems.

Insurers were unlikely to cover anything like the full value of a herd, nor would they want to take on a risk where one of the possible major sources of new infection the badger was protected by legislation. The insurance industry was not there to provide a public service, he has said.

So Mr Newson, it may not even be possible to insure against these diseases at all in future.

SUSAN ELMES

Costow Farm

Wroughton, Swindon