Farmers not listened to on Bluetongue, industry tells Senedd
Spread by midges, bluetongue presents no threat to food safety or human health, but can be fatal for livestock, including sheep and cattle.Following a UK government decision, the whole of England has been designated as a restricted zone since Tuesday.
That means animals can be moved within England without restriction.The decision has prompted the Welsh government to impose strict rules on the movement of livestock into Wales from England as it attempts to prevent the virus from crossing the border.Animals coming into Wales to be slaughtered can still be transported without a pre-movement test.However, their slaughter must take place within 24 hours and "the movement must take place after dawn and be completed before dusk".On Wednesday, the British Meat Processors Association Chief Executive Nick Allen told the Senedd's economy committee the policy would "undoubtedly" raise questions about the viability of some meat processing plants in Wales.
"It's going to cause problems and it's going to make your plants in Wales less competitive because it's going to be harder to bring animals into Wales," he said.Mr Allen told the committee the main meat processing plants brought in a third of their animals from outside Wales on average."Frankly, it's another nail in the coffin," he added.Mr Allen said he had discussed the concerns with the Welsh government "two weeks ago".Asked what response he was given, Mr Allen said "the industry wasn't listened to".Animals being transported to be kept alive, for example for breeding, will have to undergo testing or be vaccinated before they can be brought into Wales.The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers Chairman John Thorley told the committee that ordinarily a lot of stock would be moved around the UK at this time of year.He also claimed the "artificial boundary" now in place between Wales and England was "creating trading difficulties not only that will create very little benefit, but which will cause huge difficulty".
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BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ketamine helped me escape my negative thoughts - then nearly killed me
Abbie was 16 years old when she started using ketamine. It was the first time she had felt in negative thoughts that had swamped her mind since a young age began to years later and fresh out of rehab she's still battling with the addiction that almost took her wants to speak out to explain why ketamine has become such a popular drug - especially among young people with mental health problems - and to talk about the damage it can do long warning comes as the first NHS clinic in the UK - dedicated to helping children struggling with ketamine use - opens on Merseyside, with patients as young as 12 needing help. Ketamine is unlike many other street drugs due to the way it interacts with the brain. 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"We have more young people struggling with depression, trauma, anxiety, a lack of services - and we have a very cheap street drug that helps them disconnect."Abbie's first line of ketamine did exactly that. She says it "felt like such a powerful place to be"."My thoughts no longer had a negative effect on me - life was passing me by, but I didn't have to engage with it."Abbie's childhood had been hard. Struggling with mental health problems and undiagnosed ADHD, she had left school at 14 and found herself in a whirlwind of drink, drugs and unhealthy relationships. 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The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
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The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
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