Originally from: Val Collinson
                        
Andrew

You ask whether those farmers who didn't want to lose their stock were in the majority and if so, why their voices were not heard.

Who listens to farmers? Certainly not the government – why should they? Farmers are electorally insignificant in this country and therefore farming has always been used for political expediency.

I am certain that the majority of farmers would have chosen not to lose their stock – healthy stock, killed in such a brutal way goes right against the grain for anyone who practices animal husbandry for a living – I choose the words to differentiate farmers from dealers, who are stock keepers of a different ilk.

Having lost their stock, however, can you really blame them for accepting as much 'compensation' as was available? This is an entirely separate issue, since few farmers actually had the choice.

I personally would not have gone through that with my dairy cows for any number of £millions and I am certain all other farmers who were closely involved with their stock would feel exactly the same – the ones I know certainly did and were extremely traumatised by the proximity of the

Val C