THE slaughter and disposal of animals continues to horrify many people. But it is the welfare problem, caused by the ban on movement of animals, has reached such massive proportions that some believe it could become a bigger a bigger issue than the foot and mouth crisis, writes Roy Lewis.

Farmers say they are feeling increasing despair because no-one seems to be listening to them or understanding their plight.

Nationally, there are one and a half million animals from nearly 4,000 farmers registered with the scheme and waiting to be handled, while countless further applications are caught up in a complicated labrynth of bureaucracy. And all the time thousands of animals are suffering.

Veterinary surgeons, welfare officers and farming officials have made strong representations to the Government over the issue and say they are frustrated that so much red tape stands in the way. A simpler system is needed, they say.

Richard Livsey, Brecon and Radnor's MP, said that the situation was intolerable with a build-up of livestock which should have been marketed over the past six weeks. He is lobbying the Government to allow livestock to go direct to slaughter if it was more than five miles from a confirmed outbreak.

The Intervention Board scheme, set up to deal with the problem, is choked by bureaucracy and lack of manpower, said vet Sandra Weeks of Bromyard.

"We are appalled and so worried," she said. "We are making so many representations about the animals having to endure appalling conditions to the Intervention Board and the animal welfare head office in London but we cannot get action."

She instanced 150 lambing ewes in a field sown last autumn with a new ley and resembling a sea of mud. Some ewes had died and lambs were dying. Fortunately, they were killed this week. The farmer had been going through torment, she added.

So concerned is Elwyn Maddy, the county chairman of the Herefordshire branch of the National Farmers' Union, that he has made representations at national level.

"The congestion and build-up locally and elsewhere is massive. It is also turn-out time for many animals and with the wet weather continuing, the welfare issue looks like overtaking the foot-and-mouth crisis."

Mr Maddy is calling for the lifting of restrictions where possible to allow animals to go into the food chain or to allow them to be dealt with swiftly by the welfare scheme. "A lot of animals could go for meat and only movement regulations are stopping them. Unless we get a lot more movement, I believe that a lot of farmers will lose their will go to on. They have no feed, nowhere to put stock and no money."

The RSPCA said that in any other situation prosecutions would ensue. The West Midlands spokesman added: "We have cases of farmers waiting weeks for animals to be culled. We are trying to tackle the situation on an hour-to-hour basis.

"The condition the animals are in is causing us very serious concern and on a local level we are pressing MAFF and the Intervention Board to get the process speeded up."