AN OKEHAMPTON business which won numerous awards for its meat products is one of the first casualties of the foot and mouth crisis.

Restrictions on livestock movements have forced the closure of Westmoor Quality Foods on the North Road Industrial Estate which issued redundancy notices to its 16 staff last Friday.

The business, which was started five years ago by a group of pig farmers and grew to a co-operative of 90 members, will close its doors tomorrow (Friday.)

Manager John Bailey said that since February, when the foot and mouth crisis took hold, things had steadily got worse in terms of cashflow.

Westmoor's parent company Western Quality Pig Producers in Tavistock had been supplying the business with 100 local pigs a week but this number was reduced when restrictions on livestock movements were put in place to stop the spread of the disease.

'Unfortunately, if you do not have cashflow you cannot operate and despite accepting the help that was offered to businesses it was not possible to carry on,' he said.

'It is very distressing for all our farmers, our staff and our customers.'

Westmoor's main business was in traditional cured bacon and sausages and its high quality products won awards at British and regional meat competitions and the Westcountry Food Awards.

The company was set up by farmers frustrated at the difficulties in the pig farming industry who wanted to sell directly to the customer.

Good traceability made the products attractive to retailers across the board from supermarkets to corner shops and delicatessens.

'The pigs from member farmers were slaughtered at a local abattoir and returned to us so we and the customer always knew where they had come from and the sort of welfare conditions they were kept under,' said Mr Bailey.

'It had not been an easy time before the foot and mouth outbreak but the volume of business was beginning to pick up both locally and nationally. Unfortunately, foot and mouth made our difficulties that much worse.'

He said there was no doubt that without this crisis in the agricultural industry Westmoor would still be in business.

'It is sad news for everybody involved,' added Mr Bailey. 'It has been a great working atmosphere here — like one big family.

'The staff here are a first class bunch of people and I will be extremely sorry to say goodbye to all of them.'

Mr Bailey said he was currently in negotiations regarding the factory and hinted that there might be something more positive on the horizon.

A spokesperson for West Devon Borough Council which has been helping local businesses through the foot and mouth crisis said the closure of Westmoor Quality Foods was 'extremely sad news.'