UPTON farmers hit by winter floods are now under financial and emotional stress as a result of the foot and mouth crisis.

While local farms remain free of the disease they are in a state of virtual siege, with restrictions on the movement of livestock, incomes falling and supplies of forage and bedding running low.

Cattle normally turned out to pasture in spring are still in winter housing because the fields are water-logged and choked with silt.

News of a grant from the ARC/Addington Fund, one of the charities set up to help stricken farms, has provided a short-term reprieve for Nick Allen, of Bury End Farm, who had only enough silage to feed nearly 200 beef and dairy cattle for two more days.

The cattle eat six or seven tonnes a day, costing £8,000 a month, but 30 acres of maize intended as winter feed was destroyed in the floods.

Mr Allen, who received no compensation for the damage, is now producing milk at a loss.

"I'm getting 17.094p per litre for my milk and it costs about 23p to produce," he said.

Peter Surman, of Ryalls Court Farm, has 700 beef and dairy cattle, with one herd close to the outbreak at Besford.

"The crisis has an impact on almost every decision you make, every day. It's extremely difficult to manage the business and to keep on top of changes in the rules," he said.

"We can't sell fat stock because we are in a restricted area but you can't fossilise the industry. Cattle are breeding and numbers are increasing."

At Northfield Farm, Hanley Castle, Valerie Bown said they were grossly overstocked and some of the pedigree Holsteins would have to go for slaughter under the animal husbandry scheme instead of being sold for breeding.

"We can't sell any stock to offset the low milk prices and we're very short of straw for bedding," she said.

"We dare not fetch any from our store in Droitwich in case of contamination and we're having to use bales stored outside that could contain mastitis spores."