IN REPLY to Mr David Hill's letter (August 1), I am surprised that he commends a farmer who broke the movement restrictions put in place to stop the spread of foot and mouth and pours scorn on those farmers who had their stock killed through no fault of their own.

Would he have made the same comments if his own stock had been killed, I quote 'Over compensated'? I personally know of many farmers who were devastated at the loss of their stock and no amount of compensation would make up for the years of real dedication.

I am also surprised at Mr Hill's comment that we never saw foot and mouth at Eworthy when, I quote, Mr Hill said 'his neighbour's stock of 800 cattle and 2,100 ewes were now due to be slaughtered'. (Western Morning News March 27 2001). Subsequently we were all under D restriction for months.

There was a real fear that foot and mouth would return during the autumn months when the wet weather came, that's why the movement restrictions were left in place.

If we had all moved our stock on public roads with no thought to our neighbours would we be free of foot and mouth now?

In reply to Mr Blakeway's letter (August 8) Higher Town Farm is most definitely a working farm and at the time referred to in his letter it contained livestock and a business supplying hay to farmers necessitating the strictest bio-security.

M H White

Higher Town Farm

Eworthy

Germansweek