Bovine TB blow for Minsterley Show
Outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis among cattle have hit entries at an historic Shropshire agricultural show, it was revealed today.
Bosses of the Minsterley Show confirmed that three exhibitors had pulled out of the showpiece on Saturday due to the spread of the deadly disease.
The exhibitors, from farms in Cheshire and North Wales, were planning to attend the 137th show, near Shrewsbury, this weekend but will now be forced to destroy cattle which have contracted the disease. It is not known how many cows are affected.
New show chairman Barry Conde, who is a sheep farmer at Presley Farm in Habberley, near Shrewsbury, admitted the disease had caught them "very badly" this year and said it was "frightening" how quickly bovine TB was spreading.
Mr Conde said: "It is nobody's fault at all but once they go down with TB they cannot bring them to shows – the rules are very strict and three exhibitors have now had to pull out.
"They've come from places such as Cheshire, but I've had trouble with TB myself and it's very unfortunate because there won't be many cattle to look at now. It has just caught us very badly this year.
"Tuberculosis is a frightening thing and it is slowly drifting up the country."
But Mr Conde said that entries in other categories such as the sheep and goat sections had risen as well as record entries in the horse section – and that overall the show was looking "very healthy".
Ann Dale, a trustee of the show society, said: "I think the cattle entries are pretty good really but it has been difficult because there is a lot of TB in the area."
It comes as North Shropshire MP and Environment Secretary Owen Paterson steps up his campaign for a badger cull.
