The farm, like so many others, is in something of a state of siege. None but the most urgent visits are allowed, in or out of the cordon of disinfected straw. I am not going to visit anybody on another farm. As yet, the crisis has not produced a financial squeeze on Mill Farm, because the animals there are not ready for market. For now, the economics of the crisis are a secondary consideration.
People talk of the beasts as if they are a commodity, but it's so much more than that.
We talk to them. We hear them all the time. If they were not there, it would be awful. Talking to farmers these days, the sense of suspense and helplessness is palpable. Marilyn Ivings, a prominent member of the NFU, has done what she can to protect Mill Farm against the insidious disease, but knows the defences are vulnerable.