Welshpool Livestock Market could 'lose 35 percent of stock'

An auctioneer at Welshpool Livestock Market says it could lose 35 percent of its trade if new Bluetongue rules from the Welsh Government come into force.
Jonathan Evans warned there could be a severe reduction of stock at Welshpool Livestock sales, which is one of the largest markets in the UK.
Restrictions set to come into place in England on July 1 are not being replicated in Wales, meaning a ban on sheep and cattle being moved into Wales unless they have been tested for the bluetongue virus.
This would be expensive as testing each animal can be £40-£70 and can mean moving a flock of sheep would cost thousands.
'We sell 30-35 per cent English it is obviously going to have a huge effect on our turnover and profit,' said Mr Evans.
'It doesn't matter if they are vaccinated, the Welsh Government won't let them in.
'Yet they say they want farmers to vaccinate the stock but at the same time they won't accept them into Wales so they are contradicting themselves.'
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Mr Evans said the situation would be 'unviable' and it would severely limit the pool of breeding animals for local farmers
'The Welsh Farmer has a way, way smaller pool to buy their breeding stock from. They can only but their breeding stock from Wales,' said Mr Evans.
'The breeding rams, the majority of these come from England. Unless they are tested – which they are unlikely to be – they have got a much, much smaller pool to buy from.
'It will either be a lot more expensive or they will end up not having what they want.'

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