I MUST respond to Rita Evans' outrageous letter (April 5) blaming farmers for the foot and mouth crisis.

Her letter just shows the huge divide between urban and rural people, and sheer ignorance.

Firstly, foot and mouth disease is very much about animal welfare.

Although adult sheep can often show few symptoms, younger lambs will simply die from heart attacks and stress.

Pigs squeal in pain and spread the virus very rapidly.

Cows will slobber and often lose the whole skin off their tongues - they cannot then even eat food if they can walk to it.

They cannot then produce milk for calves to suckle and many animals will actually starve to death as a result.

The welfare implications for farms without the infection are probably just as horrendous.

Pregnant ewes and cows are stranded away from home in muddy fields with little or no food.

Lambs often are born into mud and simply drown or die of hypothermia.

This virus is the most infectious disease on our planet.

Delayed slaughter of infected animals and dangerous contacts is putting our whole national herd and flock in jeopardy.

The compensation referred to is for loss or stock, not loss of income.

Affected farmers will not be able to re-stock until their area is virus-free for six months.

The new breeding stock may well not be available and if it is, the shortage will lead to a high price (as experienced in 1968 after the last outbreak).

We feel great sympathy for associated industries but they are losing income now, in the short term, not their stock and fixtures.

Personally I do not support vaccination.

We produce high-quality lamb fed on extensive pastureland - a wonderful product which our consumers in Europe want to buy.

Yes, I am crying real tears. Several of our friends have lost all their animals - often slaughtered inhumanely - and now their neighbours' animals are wiped out too as "dangerous contacts".

What we need is Government funding for local marketing initiatives and regional abattoirs.

Instead they are more concerned with securing another five years of office when an election isn't even due nationally until next May.

JANE NOTT

Bullockhurst Cottage

Rock