A WORCESTERSHIRE sheep farmer says she is furious with the Ministry of Agriculture after a series of disasters meant she could not have a proper burial service for her mother.

Leonora Parsons is also facing losing her flock of rare breed Leicester Long Wools as her farm neighbours an infected site.

Mrs Parsons, of Glen Acre Farm, Chaddesley Corbett, near Kidderminster, was unable to bury her elderly mother at nearby Rushock Church. It is next to fields where infected sheep had been culled.

Mourners had to be met at the local crematorium because they could not come to her house and afterwards the wake had to be held in a local pub.

"We could not have the funeral we wanted because of foot-and-mouth," she said.

"The whole thing has been a nightmare and I am now on tablets from the doctor as a result."

She says the stress of the crisis has been unbearable and every day lived in fear that MAFF would come out to slaughter her flock.

Like other farmers, she is waiting on the outcome of legal action by MAFF to see whether her sheep will be saved.

What angers her even more is that she has had each animal independently blood tested by her own vet and hand delivered to the National Institute for Animal Science. The results were all negative.

"If there was any sign even of my sheep being carriers I would have no qualms in putting them down, but everything was negative.

"I am an isolated farm and my sheep have been locked away with no contact with other animals so I don't know why MAFF are persisting with legal action for slaughter. It makes me furious.

"I have taken semen from my rams and stored it in America and Malvern but I have only got one ewe and one lamb.

"If the ewe is killed the semen will be no good and I will not be able to rebuild the flock."

MAFF officials say that nothing will happen to Mrs Parson's sheep until they receive guidance from vets.

"We're awaiting separate guidance to be issued on what to do with rare breeds, so nothing will happen until we make a new decision," said a MAFF spokeswoman.