Home Blogs & Views Birmingham Mail Columnists Maureen Messent

Crocodile tears over culling

Aug 17 2007

YET more stupidity from those farmers who wept as their cattle were culled in the small foot and mouth outbreak this week.

One old chap wiped his eyes as he described how Defra vets had despatched his flocks and my heart warmed towards him. Here was a son of the soil, I thought, who actually respected and felt affection for those wretched animals.

How naive I was. The following night others farmers appeared and smiled broadly.

"The situation is better," we were told. "We are allowed to take our stock to abattoirs."

So those initial tears weren't for the sadness of premature animal deaths, after all. They wept at the thought of the fodder the animals were eating while slaughter was delayed.

Silly me.

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