EASTER Sunday will be a day that Tibberton smallholder Sue Groves will never forget.
That was the day MAFF arrived to slaughter her 36 ewes and lambs and two pet goats.
Like Rob Chilman, who could be forced to fight plans to slaughter his cattle in court, she claims her animals were inspected by a Ministry vet who said they were healthy.
But while he was there, she received a phone call from MAFF to say the animals were being culled because there were in an infected zone.
"There are three fields and a canal between my property and the nearest infected farm but they said that because it was within 3km it was in a contiguous zone," she said.
"What angers me is that they didn't carry out the cull within the 48 hour time limit for farms in infected zones.
"They gave me just hours notice before they came out on Easter Sunday and killed them. Then they left them to rot until Thursday before they came and collected them.
"I am supporting Rob because it has been 15 days since the outbreak at the neighbouring farm so what grounds do MAFF have for killing a herd which is perfectly healthy now?"
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