The second farmer to fall victim to the foot-and-mouth outbreak wept yesterday as he told how his business had been wiped out after his cattle contracted the disease.

John Gunner, 60, said that his herd of Charollais and Sussex cows, which were grazing on three separate sites, have had to be slaughtered after he noticed signs of the infection in his animals on Monday.

He disclosed that they had been given a clean bill of health only a day before by vets but some then began dribbling from the mouth and limping.

Mr Gunner rented 300 acres around Willey Green, near Guildford, Surrey, just a few miles from the first infected farm at Normandy, owned by the Pride family.

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Background

• Outbreak under control, experts tell Brown

• Deadly secrets of the pathogen labs

• Chief vet rules out vaccination against FMD

• Lawyers advise on possible compensation claim

• ‘My old bull, Ned, collapsed before my eyes’

Related Links

• Second outbreak brings close of all footpaths

Speaking at his semi-detached home in the village of Wood Street, where he lives with his wife, Joy, he said: “It is a terrible disaster and I just hope no one else goes through this. It has wiped us out. It is our only income and I am just devastated. I will try and recover but it will be difficult.”

Mr Gunner said that he was concerned when news broke last Friday that foot-and-mouth had been discovered at the Pride family farm and said he checked his herd every three hours.

The family also took it upon themselves to block off all the footpaths, seal off the farm and put down disinfectant. He added: “We did everything we could. We phoned and spoke to someone at Defra and they came on Sunday and gave the cattle the all-clear. They gave them a thorough examination and I thought everything was going to be OK and it would bypass us.”

Mr Gunner said that he checked the cattle again on Monday morning at all three of his sites and all seemed fine but by lunchtime he sensed that something was not quite right.

He said: “One was limping and another was dribbling at the mouth. We got back in touch with the veterinary people and they returned.

“By this point my old bull, Ned, wasn’t very well. He was like a pet and was about eight years old. He had great pedigree and was so gentle I could put my arms around him and he would have stayed with me all his life. In the short time I was there he collapsed in front of my eyes. The vet said he feared the worst. We were there and everything was going wrong in front of us. It was just so fast.”

Mr Gunner said he had no idea how the infection could have spread to his land because the cows had not been moved for seven months and since the outbreak neither he or his son Stephen had left the exclusion zone. However, he did reveal that the stream running through the Prides’ grazing field also goes through his land.

Mr Gunner said that the Defra vet asked him if he would be prepared to cull his herd before foot-and-mouth had been confirmed and he told them, “You have got to do your job.” He said: “It was a foregone conclusion — it would have been unfair to keep them alive.”

When asked what he would feel if the disease was found to have spread from the laboratory site at Pirbright, Mr Gunner said: “I would feel annoyed that people who are dealing with such dangerous diseases are so irresponsible. I know that it is a necessity but there should be strict controls and it should not have been allowed to get out. Everything must be shut down because I don’t want another family to go through what we have had to go through.”

Mr Gunner said his son Stephen, 30, had quit the Army where he had been fighting in Iraq to help at the farm with a view to taking it over when his father retired. He did not know if there would be a farm left to run.

Stephen said: “I want to continue farming but we don’t yet know what will happen.” He said he was shocked at the transformation in the herd of just over 100 animals. “They were all going skinny in front of our eyes. It was that fast. They were stumbling and falling over and drooling.”

The culling of the family’s animals began on Monday evening.

Shoppers can expect to see a shortage of British meat by the weekend because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, retailers said yesterday (Rajeev Syal writes).

British pork, lamb and beef will begin to run out as restrictions on the movement of animals take effect. Consequently, supermarkets are seeking alternative suppliers, industry officials said.

A British Retail Consortium spokesman said that stores may have to import pork and lamb within days. “The longer that suppliers are unable to move livestock, the more likely it becomes that our members will look for ways to fulfil any shortfall. It would mean looking for sources of meat from outside the UK.”

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