FEATURE: FOOT and mouth has forced Rupert Burr to give up farming.

Mr Burr has run Roves Farm in Sevenhampton for the past 30 years. In 1992, he opened it up as a petting farm and visitor centre.

But the farm had to close for about three months as a result of foot and mouth, leading to a huge fall in visitor numbers.

Mr Burr now says he will sell his remaining farming stock and only keep enough animals for the petting farm, which he hopes he will still be able to keep going when it reopens in March.

He said: "I have lost about £70,000 this year. I have only got around 145 sheep left and I only have those to graze the grass. As soon as I can I shall get rid of them and no longer be a farmer.

"Even now, we still have the hassle of licensing and moving animals. It has been, and remains, an absolute nightmare.

"One of our sheep is the mascot for a squadron at RAF Lyneham but I can't even take it up there in the back of my car for functions.

"Our problem now is trying to survive through the winter. We have cut our animals at the petting farm down to the absolute bare minimum.

"We wanted to do out-of-season school visits but we have got no bookings, and couldn't do them anyway at the moment, so I've had to lay off my teaching staff."

He said the price of lambs has dropped dramatically and criticised those he described as the "middle men" involved in the industry.

"In July, I only got £21 for a lamb after costs. I was talking to a farmer from New Zealand who is getting £25 per lamb after having to freeze them and send them half way round the world.

"There is something desperately wrong with our farm industry beyond the farm gate. It is either grossly inefficient or hugely profiteering.

"The consumer is paying more for the lamb while farmers are getting less.

"I am not saying the farming industry is perfect but we need more local abattoirs and a commitment from local people, businesses and local government to buy our products.

"The farming industry in this country has extremely high standards in terms of animal welfare and transport which bump up our costs. And we do reinvest locally by using local suppliers.

"I don't think organic farming is the answer. People think it is ultimately sustainable but it's not that simple, especially when there is a constant demand for quality produce."

Mr Burr said he agreed with compensation payouts and dismisses controversy over some awards of more than £1m.

He said: "I think its absolutely right that should be the case if a farmer has a pedigree herd of hundreds of animals, several will be worth £10,000."

Mr Burr also countered the image of moaning farmers. "We are fighting elements that we have no control of and that is coupled with political interference," he said.

"I recently attended a conference where Lord Haskins was talking about the future of farming but he didn't mention alternative crops.

"I am a big believer in renewable energy crops but we can't get the market going because of bureaucracy."