Hello Everyone!! (4June 2001)

Some of you will know I have been off line for a few days with a virus! Thanks Toby for helping me out! However I am now back with vengeance!

I have spent the weekend & today observing MAFF slaughter tactics, behaviour & their DELIBERATE transference of the disease!!

As some of you may know, we have been hit very hard around here recently (again). When everyone gave up all their sheep in the naive belief that this would suddenly eradicate the disease we hardly believed the horror that would unfold over the ensuing weeks. Gradually, one by one more stock has been hit. This time in cattle. 650 dairy cattle here, a suckler heard there etc. etc. This time however, Maff operated with uncharacteristic efficiency. Farms are being culled out rapidly, animals desposed of quickly, unlike the early days when animals were left rotting in front of our eyes for 10 or more days! Farm after farm has been killed out this weekend; not appearing on the website until its all over it has been nearly impossible to brief all farmers on their rights. Contigious farms have been wiped out ruthlessly; turn your back & all the animals have gone! I saw one Maff butcher team crushing a small heard of cattle against a wall and farm gate with metal fences. These animals could hardly breathe! The Maff team stood around joking and laughing as a low loader pushed the fences firmly against the terrified animals! They were writhing in agony and I complained to Maff but they demanded I left immediately or they would just sit there until I left! I had my little boy with me and therefore was in no mood for a stand off! Shame! I fancied putting a few more Maff girlies in hospital! I also realised that these poor animals were suffering and unfortunately I beat a hasty retreat! One hour later these wretched animals had gone with the only evidence they had been there being heavily scuffed grass and the usual blood spats against parts of the wall! They could not have fallen where they were shot, there was not enough room! On my second visit I confronted a Maff person. He took my number plate & suggested I leave or his friends would remove me. I told him I was a lawyer working for the World Animal Welfare Organisation & he told me to F*** O** quickly! At this point I made it quite clear that if he wished to see home again he best back off! He did! Lucky really, there were lots of them around!

I continued observing the area; every time I returned another sorry scene came into view! So sickening I will not write here, but you can guess! I heard rifle shots in one remote area but could not get close enough to see what was going on! One thing I noticed is how much Maff hate having their photographs taken......so I kept doing it! More threats from them, but being reasonably well sorted they failed to intimidate me, well I didn`t show it anyway!

Sadly the stock around this area is now ALL gone! I remember vividly seeing a large brown bull in a field the night before the cull and seeing him, the next day being scooped up and dropped into a cull wagon. What a complete waste! Outside one of the large dairy farms culled out were a bunch of flowers. Quite symbolic really.

Anyway one morning I saw Maff drive out of one of the culling fields in a farm tractor and trailer straight out onto the road!! It had not been de-toxed at all! It was dropping mud all over the road!

This evening I heard a farm had gone down locally. I drove out quickly to observe. On the way I met a local farmer bringing a beautiful heard of Friesians in for milking. "A fine heard" I said "how are you doing?". Quite a pathetic comment really but under the circumstances it was all I could muster. "Thanks lad." the farmer said, "Good milkers as well. They`re in fine condition, very healthy but it`s only a matter of time now!". His eyes said it all, a big man but now very desperate! I must get a help pack to him tomorrow! I wished him good luck and drove away very saddened again. I drove down to the new contact but to no avail, the cull lorries were alrady leaving the premises! I decided to follow one. After a few miles he pulled over to let me pass! Damn! So I went ahead for a few miles & then pulled into a side road! I was behind him again and soon he pulled into a layby just before the Shap exit of the M6. He waited there for 15 minutes. Then another cull lorry arrived, they exchanged words & left travelling North up the M6. I kept a reasonably close distance travelling at 40 mph; a little too fast for my car! Then suddenly the break I was waiting for! One of the lorries pulled into the motorway services! I later found out he was carrying 5 year old plus dairy cattle culled within the last few hours! To my horror he pulled up outside the fuel station shop, exited the cab, left the engine running & entered the shop! He bought some food, came out of the shop & placed a wrapper in a bin and set off again!! This if you don`t know is against all their guidelines! Bloody obvious really, 20 plus infected dairy cattle just culled!

I took "chase" again. I had been trying to keep covert but now gave up & decided to get up close to confirm registration etc. We passed miles upon miles of empty fields & the familiar "BLAIR FIDDLES AS CUMBRIA BURNS!" banner as we continued North. We ended up travelling to Hallburn Airfield, Longtown. He travelled through countless small lanes adjacent to healthy stock & brushing hedgerows etc! I looked on at the poor cattle in these fields and wondered how long they would survive! On arrival at the security gate the driver got out glared at me & told security about me. I feared the worse! Here I was in the middle of nowhere & even my mobile had no signal! I picked up my thermos flask; makes a great "friend", especially when full, and awaited the inevitable! This very meek lad came towards me & asked If I needed any assistance! To stop a long story becoming VERY long, I filled in a complaints form, kept a copy & then went into Longtown to phone the police to report the incidence. As I drove home my mobile went & it was an Inspector from Penrith Police! He wished to speak to me but not as I was driving! He agreed to ring me at homein 30 mins. He did and I spent the next 1.5 hrs. chatting to this gentleman who was also a small holder and had been treated appallingly by MAFF! We were instant buddies as I explained what I had been doing! Good on you he said and we exchanged DATA of events we had been involved in the past few months. Lots to tell but not here! Yet! However he did advise that as the Trading Standards would deal with the incident and as they run transportation of cull lorries, maybe I would not get a result! He did advise me to take the incident aggressively to the media. I will naturally! Tomorrow is another day; I`ll fix these Maff gits yet!!!

Regards.

NICK GREEN

CUMBRIA