Archived News

16th September 2007
It's all gone very quiet. This weekend most of our staff had some time off, although feeding of calves and checking livestock have continued.

We have one calf who has been poorly since 8th August, he's the one who first showed symptons of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis.  Treatment could not be administered as quickly as we would have hopd due to Temporary Restrictions our farm was placed under at that time. The calf is in 'sick bay' and receives a glucose and milk mixture via a tube down his throat, but sadly the illness has hit him so hard and he continues to loose strength. Although Amanda has done all she can to nurse this calf, it is not responding. He has had a really tough six weeks and I think now he is just too weak to carry on.

The news on the local grapevine about the Egham Foot and Mouth is mixed and not terribly encouraging and the papers today include 'top soil' and 'streams' as two subjects still under investigation... I hope time will actually tell and we might, just might get to some of the truth.

I check the DEFRA website many times each day but unfortunately it seems to be updated rarely and quite a while after the press have got hold of their next headline - it should of course be the other way round so that we receive accurate facts from DEFRA to farmer - isn't it the technological age?

It would be good to turn the TV off, but we can't, just in case they can give us the introduction that is all too familiar. 'The BBC/SKY have learned...'

It is still an anxious time, the waiting, constant feeling of 'what next?', lack of sleep, and not being able to get on with seasonal work. We cannot bring in any more calves, so once again they will be backing-up at the dairy farms and we cannot move any cattle to new pasture.

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