The end of a dream..

Last week the
FARMING PRESS
reported that the SIMA show in France was the venue for Worcestershire breeder and dairy farmer, Richard Bown. His 'Richhaven' herd was all set to take 10 top flight cattle to the show and sale as a show case for UK stock.
But a comment on the posting below has alerted us to devastating news for Mr. Bown, and the end of a dream for promoting his cattle. His top cow, Ecstasy Journalist Roxy, owned jointly with John Jordan, failed a TB test. Full story is told
FWi site

Mr. Bown commented "It could devastate our business. Breeding stock sales heavily outweigh milk sales for us, but with a TB reactor in the herd, our opportunities to sell have been decimated. It's also horrific news for the UK as it will be another two years before the next SIMA, limiting the chances of showing the best of UK cattle breeding to potential European buyers."

And, as if the prospect of losing the cow wasn't enough, tabular valuations ensure that Mr Bown will receive just £855 - a figure he described as a pittance, having been offered around £40,000 for the cow.

With none of her daughters in the herd and currently unable to flush embryos, Mr Bown also faces losing the breeding lines of a cow which was just one of two second calvers in the UK to classify as excellent last year.

"The government must get on top of TB in this country and pay farmers fair compensation, to compare a cow of this breeding and performance to one in a standard commercial herd is idiotic. We'll fight this all the way, not just for us, but also for others who may end up in this situation." He said.

(Thanks to FWi.co.uk for the link)