Fwd: Phoenix the calf's owners to give up farming - Ananova Alerting

Originally from: Molly Maxwell
                        
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Originally from: "Ananova" <533...>
To: Molly Maxwell <...>
Subject: Phoenix the calf's owners to give up farming – Ananova Alerting Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 16:48:10 GMT

The owners of Phoenix the calf are giving up farming because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

The animal made world headlines by surviving a cull in east Devon.

She will remain at the farm with her owners.

The calf was just five-days-old when she survived the contiguous cull in which other healthy cattle, including her mother, were slaughtered at Clarence Farm in Membury.

Her owners, Philip Board, 42, and his 35-year-old wife Michaela, twice refused to allow vets to cull the Charolais.

Phoenix was finally saved by a change in government policy which allowed her to live after coming through a 21-day quarantine period.

Now Mr and Mrs Board, who had raised 70 cattle and sheep on 35 acres which has been in the family for 60 years, have decided they have had enough.

"We are just fed up with it, all the red tape and the filling in of forms," said Mrs Board.

"We are just going to have a few animals to keep Phoenix and the pony Teddy company, and cut silage on the land," said Mrs Board, who works with children with special needs.

Mr Board will continue to run his heavy plant contracting firm from the farm.

*Foot-and-mouth story sent by Ananova