Bluetongue restrictions worry farmers on Shropshire-Wales border
While bluetongue has spread across large parts of England, it has yet to reach Wales this year and the Welsh government said it was attempting to hold it back "for as long as we can".At a market like Oswestry, where 80% of the livestock sold will cross over the border, every Welsh animal which does not sell will need to be tested before it can return to Wales, at a cost of up to £70 per animal.Each test only last seven days before animals need to take a fresh one.
Helen Roberts, who farms in Wales, said it would force her to look further afield for cattle auctions on the Welsh side of the border instead of Oswestry, which is just three miles away.She said it was "just ridiculous".Ms Morgan said: "There are hundreds of farms that have land on both sides of the border, so it's really problematic and inconvenient for them and there's a lack of clarity over how they should manage that situation at the moment."
Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Brits shouldn't be signed off work for anxiety and depression, says former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
Former health secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt fears society is 'over medicalising' the impact of normal traumatic events – and warned against signing people off work with anxiety and depression. The Tory grandee, who held the role between 2012 and 2018, spoke out as the Government has faced stiff opposition from its own MPs against welfare reforms. People with mental health conditions are believed to account for around half of the rise in working age adults claiming disability benefits in England and Wales since the pandemic, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The number of working-age adults in England and Wales paid disability benefits rose by nearly 1million people to 2.9million between 2019 and 2024, with 7.5 per cent of 16- to 64-year-olds claiming. In a report in March, the Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated that about 500,000 of the rise is from mental health claimants. Sir Jeremy said that 'in some ways it's rather positive' that people talk openly about mental health issues. But he said: 'I do worry we are sometimes over-medicalising it. Everyone has trauma – bereavements, sometimes losing their jobs. That is not the same as mental illness. 'I think it's immoral we are signing off 3,000 people a day saying they don't have to look for work. The Tory MP, most recently Chancellor under Rishi Sunak (pictured) and who narrowly held onto his seat by 819 votes at last year's General Election, said: Everyone has trauma – bereavements, sometimes losing their jobs. That is not the same as mental illness' 'The majority of those have anxiety and depression and the one thing they need is social contact. If you sign them out of the world of work, their anxiety is going to get worse rather than better.' Sir Jeremy, speaking at the Buxton Literary Festival, Derbyshire, said the focus should be on supporting people with anxiety or depression so they can continue to work and lead their lives. The Tory MP, most recently Chancellor under Rishi Sunak and who narrowly held onto his seat by 819 votes at last year's General Election, added: 'What we should be doing is increasing mental health provision on the NHS. 'For that individual, it's far better but it's also better for Rachel Reeves when she's trying to make the numbers add up for her budget.' During the talk, Sir Jeremy backed current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, saying his beleaguered party should not undergo another leadership change to improve its fortunes. He said: 'I don't think anyone else would have done much better. We've had four leaders in four years. If changing leader was the answer, we'd be doing much better in the polls than we are doing. 'We had the worst defeat in our history a year ago and it's going to take time for the country to give us a hearing again.' He urged Ms Badenoch to 'move on from contrition' to 'offering solutions' to Britain's problems. Sir Jeremy said: 'There's a football pitch-sized hole in politics for a party offering solutions. Labour is ducking decisions; Reform is not credible. 'I hope she [Kemi] turns things around but I recognise there's still a lot to do.' The MP, who represents Godalming and Ash, Surrey, ruled himself out of a return to frontline politics any time soon. He said: 'I made it clear to Kemi that I didn't wish to serve [in a front bench post in opposition] but if she wanted to bring me back before an election and if it would help, I would be around.' Jokingly, Sir Jeremy revealed being photographed more often with his pet labrador Poppy may have improved his poll ratings. The pet was pictured with the MP, his wife Lucia and their three children as they left 11 Downing Street for the final time following last July's election defeat. He said: 'Someone tweeted 'God, he's got a labrador, can I change the way I voted?'. That's the British public!'
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Heston Blumenthal reveals he's taking weight-loss drug Wegovy and shares fears that slimming jabs could pose a threat to the food industry
Heston Blumenthal has revealed he's taking the weight-loss drug Wegovy. The celebrity chef, 59, told how he's been taking the slimming aid to help combat the effects of his bipolar medication, having been diagnosed with type 1 bipolar in 2023. Heston also expressed his fears that the rise in popularity of weight loss jabs could pose a threat to the food industry. Speaking to Times Radio, Heston explained: 'I've put on so much weight, but it's starting to come off now', before adding that his use of the drug is a 'paradox' given the fact he's a restaurateur. The TV personality remarked how he'd lost 'eight kilos' on Wegovy so far, however, he has also dealt with side effects including brain fog, slurred speech and problems with balance. The drugs contain semaglutide, an amino acid, which suppresses appetite by mimicking a hormone telling the brain you are full up. In a new interview, the celebrity chef, 59, told how he's been taking the slimming aid to help combat the effects of his bipolar medication, having been diagnosed with type 1 bipolar back in 2023 [Boxes of Wegovy pictured] Heston issued a warning to the food industry, remarking how the continued use of the popular slimming jabs could have a detrimental affect on it. He explained: 'Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro – you still enjoy food, but it stops appetite, so what's going to happen is people are going to want smaller portions.' Heston added that things were 'going to get much worse in the next six months' for restaurants, before expressing that supermarkets would also be affected. However, the food writer noted that he's 'formulating a plan' in a bid to help the food industry. Elsewhere, last month, Heston revealed he 'had thought about different ways of ending [his life]' before eventually receiving treatment for bipolar disorder. The London-born celebrity chef, who holds a total of seven Michelin stars across his restaurants, was diagnosed with type 1 bipolar after being sectioned - on the insistence of his wife, French entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson - in November 2023. Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder which causes unusual and often sudden changes in mood and energy levels. He spent two weeks heavily medicated in a psychiatric hospital and a further six weeks in a clinic, where he continued with intensive treatment and practised walking meditation. Yet, four years previously, he had already hit rock bottom and was contemplating the method he would use to take his own life. Looking back to filming the cookery show Crazy Delicious in 2019, Heston told The Times: 'I remember lying on the sofa the night before I was due to go to do the show - I didn't want to do it, because of the condition I was in - and I had thought about different ways of finishing [my life]. 'I went through a list: knife? No, can't do that. Gun? Don't have one. Rope? I don't think I could do that; wouldn't know how. It would probably slip off or whatever. 'And there was no train station anywhere near to jump in front of a train.' The father-of-four, whose first eatery, The Fat Duck, was named the best restaurant in the world in 2005, added that he didn't perceive that he was in a depressive state - even when he 'was talking about suicide or death'. He told the publication: 'I must have been in a mixed state [a period of rapid highs and lows], because I was excited about planning my funeral, planning my wake. What music I wanted, who I wanted there - I got quite excited about that.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Jeremy Clarkson reveals ‘steep learning curve' after ‘enormous' disruption caused by TB outbreak at Diddly Squat
JEREMY Clarkson has revealed the "steep learning curve" he faced after a TB outbreak at Diddly Squat caused "enormous" disruption. The TV star, 65, has been left "absolutely devastated" by the news, which is the latest blow for the hard-hit team on the farm. 2 2 Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, which can also infect and cause disease in cats, badgers and dogs. Jeremy explained how no cows could be introduced to, or leave, the farm until another test can be done on his cattle. However, the ex- Top Gear host added that a calf had also become unwell following the outbreak. Now, Jeremy has spoken out about the "enormous" extent of the disruption faced on his farm. He told The Times he was on a "very steep learning curve". Jeremy told the outlet: "The disruption's enormous, because you aren't allowed to operate as a business. "You have to isolate them for two months. So all the barns we needed to store the grain in, we now have to convert into a cow hospital. "We've got another calf with pneumonia, so that needs to be housed. "And we can't buy or sell a cow now because the farm officially, you know, has TB.' But in some good news for fans, he said the farm shop would remain open and unaffected. Clarkson said reports that his farm was shut were 'ridiculous'. 'We're trying to carry on with the harvest and everything, but TB focuses the mind,' he said. It comes after the Sun columnist revealed in another blow that his puppy died hours after he was handed the heartbreaking news about his farm. The devastated farmer told how his puppy had died through the night. He is also trying to care for a "very sickly calf". The Top Gear icon revealed he is not enjoying his new profession this week. And on Sunday, Jeremy revealed his red Labrador Arya had given birth to 11 puppies. He and his wife Lisa Hogan acted as midwives for the adorable pups while the Lionesses roared to victory in the Euros final. Meanwhile, on the latest series of his Amazon Prime show, Jeremy revealed how endless rain had sparked chaos on the farm last year. The Diddly Squat Farm Shop's Instagram page wrote: "It's going to be a rough year. All that seed sowed, drowned with the constant rain." What is bovine TB? Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease of cattle and badgers. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) which can also infect and cause disease in many other mammals including humans, deer, goats, pigs, cats, dogs and badgers. In cattle, it is mainly a respiratory disease. What are the symptoms? It is hard to spot bovine TB as the signs are similar to other diseases and normally only develop in the advanced stages. It is normally picked up in cattle testing before clinical signs develop or during inspections of slaughtered cattle. Animals can get thinner, have a light fever that keeps coming back, appear weak and have a reduced appetite. Some will also have swollen lymph nodes, in the neck and a moist cough which is worse in the morning and during cold weather or exercise. The government states it may cause chronic mastitis, an infection of the udder. How is transferred between animals? Evidence of bovine TB is most commonly found in the lymph glands of throat and lungs of affected animals. They spread the disease mainly through coughing and sneezing. Bacteria are released into the air and inhaled by other animals in close contact. The disease can pass from badgers to cattle via close contact - and vice versa. Contaminated equipment, animal waste, feed and pasture can also transfer the infection. Can humans catch it from cattle? Humans can catch bovine TB through: unpasteurised milk or dairy products from an infected cow, buffalo, goat or sheep inhaling bacteria breathed out by infected animals inhaling bacteria released from the carcasses of infected animals or from their excretions (such as faeces) Infection is more likely if an unprotected wound is exposed to bacteria from an infected animal. But the government insists the risk of infection is very low for the vast majority of the population. Symptoms are similar to human TB, including weight loss, fever, night sweats and a persistent cough. Anyone who develops these symptoms should consult a doctor. The disease can be treated by a complex combination of drugs over a long period. And Clarkson's right-hand man Kaleb Cooper was the victim of soaring tool theft after robbers nicked a £7,000 farm tool this week. The farmer turned TV hero, 27, told fans his pricey post knocker, used for hammering in fences, had been stolen on Tuesday. Another firm's £70k John Deere tractor was also taken, with a burnt-out SUV car found down the road. Meanwhile, earlier this month Jeremy slammed the "fun police" after his big-budget beer advert was banned from TV and radio. Keen to spread the word about Diddly Squat Farm's Hawkstone lager, The Sun columnist hired a 34-strong choir of real British farmers to sing their own version of a classic opera tune. Hilariously, the farmers switched up the words to sing: "F*** me it's good".
