Worrying time – but hopes case is isolated

Fife beef farmer Steven Mitchell fears a catastrophic hit on the industry if the incident is anything other than a one-off.

The loss of negligible risk status is a particular worry for him, given he has just sold a number of animals to a customer in the Netherlands and they are due to be exported next week.

Mr Mitchell, who runs the Buffalo Farm near Kirkcaldy, diversified during the 1996 crisis but also still farms beef.

“Scotland has a great reputation and over the last few years it feels like it’s been very under control,” he said.

“It’s quite scary when you hear what the implications can be.

“I’m really hoping this turns out to be just a one-off.

“It would be devastating for it to be anything more than that. It would be catastrophic in fact.

“This makes you quite aware of just how vulnerable everything can be, that’s the scary thing working with livestock.”

Adrian Ivory, who has a herd of more than 500 cattle at Strathisla, near Meigle, said: “It’s always a shock when it happens, but I am hopeful that it’s an isolated case.

“At the moment I don’t think there will be much effect. The testing has found it this time and therefore it appears like it has gone no further.”

He said he didn’t think the discovery would damage the Scotch Beef brand, which is known for its high value and high quality.

“The key is to have the confidence of the consumer,” he said.

“They may well have confidence and trust that it has been sourced before leaving the farm.

“We’ll keep monitoring it.”

A call for calm has been issued by a past-president of the AberdeenAngus Cattle Society in the wake of the news.

Alex Sanger, who farms at Pettycur, on the outskirts of Montrose, said it was “devastating” but urged caution until full details emerged.

He said: “It is devastating to hear about it but it is in the authority’s hands and they will deal with it and put all the precautions in place.”