Burial put on hold for fear of pollution

Disposal

The burial of thousands of slaughtered animals in a giant grave in mid-Wales was suspended yesterday because of fears over pollution.

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The burial of thousands of slaughtered animals in a giant grave in mid-Wales was suspended yesterday because of fears over pollution.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Maff) planned to tackle the huge backlog of carcasses by burying dead sheep and cattle at a firing range at Epynt mountain in Sennybridge, Powys.

But scientists discovered pollution in a test bore hole 100 metres from the site last week, 10 days after the animals started to be buried. All consignments of carcasses to the burial site were suspended pending an inquiry into the discovery.

Protesters opposed to the scheme claimed yesterday that Maff had been forced to act under sustained pressure from people in the area. Up to 200 local campaigners blockaded the site in protest at the original decision to ship in carcasses to an area that was free of foot-and-mouth. The blockade was halted two weeks ago when a protester drove a stolen 50-ton excavator through the demonstration, injuring a policeman.

Glynn Powell, Farmers' Union of Wales deputy president, said: "People here will remain opposed to the scheme until they have a cast-iron guarantee that no infected carcasses will pass through the site."