Cattle Farmer Takes On DEFRA
UK - The man who is challenging Defra in the High Court over its controversial table valuation system for cattle says he is fighting for a fairer deal on behalf of all farmers.
3 May 2007
1 minute read
Devon farmer David Partridge lost tens of thousands of pounds last spring when nine cows from his pedigree Holstein herd were culled because of bovine TB.
Under the newly-introduced table valuation system, the compensation he received amounted to a fraction of the true worth of each animal.
That, he said, had subsequently made it ‘impossible’ for him to go out and replace the cattle he had lost from his closed herd at Washfield, near Tiverton.
Last week, Mr Partridge, who has lost nearly 140 dairy and beef animals over the years to bTB, obtained permission from a High Court judge to bring a Judicial Review of the table valuation system. His lawyers expect the case to be heard at the High Court in the late summer or autumn.
“I was very disgruntled with the valuation of my cattle,” Mr Partridge said. “The system is totally unfair and I am fighting for a fairer system, not just for me, but for all farmers,” he said.
His lawyer, Tim Russ, head of agriculture and food at law firm Clarke Willmott, described the table valuation system as ‘wholly discriminatory’. He said it may amount to illegal state aid.
Source: FarmersGuardian
