FARMERS in West Devon were this week given permission to take animals to slaughter, following the latest outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Surrey. But there are still real fears that livestock markets in Tavistock and Hatherleigh will not be open to sell sheep, cattle and pigs until as late as Christmas. This would be disastrous to many farmers who need to either buy or sell animals or have the financial burden of the winter feeding of those animals who would have been selected for slaughter. At Tavistock market a sale of 600 cattle took place last week just before the latest restrictions but two sheep market sales, postponed due to previous foot and month restrictions, had to again be cancelled. Chris Clapham, manager and auctioneer at Tavistock Livestock Centre, said: ?Throughout August farmers were just about able to bear the restrictions but this latest setback could be an absolute disaster. ?Some of the sheep farmers on moors have to sell their animals. Where do they go if they haven?t got a market, what can they do?? At Hatherleigh a cattle market was cancelled on Thursday as trading came to a standstill ? 250 cattle were due to be sold. Gregory Vick, the owner of Hatherleigh market, said: ?This is an absolute disaster. It could not have come at a worse time for farmers and the market, this time of year especially as it is by far the busiest for store cattle and suckler calves. Its now just a case of wait and see.? The restrictions also has financial implications for the town?s abattoir. Geoffrey Cox, the MP for West Devon and Torridge, told the Times: ?It?s a very worrying situation.? Mr Cox, who is a member of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, said he would be asking ?very, very, probing questions? from Government departments in their handling of measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease. Ian Johnson, a spokesman for the NFU in the South West, described the latest outbreak as a ?disaster?. ?It?s such an important time of year for the industry. It affects everyone dependent on the rural economy ? the farmers, the hauliers, the sales markets. Farming is facing a huge, gargantuan struggle as an industry, and now this.?