Richard Pickup stood atop the steep, rock-strewn hill behind his home gazing at the familiar vista of emerald pastures hemmed in by century-old slate-gray stone fences. At points as far as he could see in every direction, coal smoke smudged the sky, black testament to the funeral pyres of thousands upon thousands of sheep and cattle killed and immolated in an effort to stem the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD). He wondered if his flock would be next.

Richard and wife Celia operate Craigadam, a "Scottish sporting estate" comprised of 25,000 acres of farmland, moorland and woodland in the vicinity of Kirkpatrick Durham, Kirkcudbrightshire near Dumfries and Galloway in the southwest part of the country. They raise organic sheep and game birds, operate a bed-and-breakfast in their 18th century home and converted farm buildings and run a successful stalking (hunting) and shooting business on their lands.

My wife and I met Richard and Celia during a brief stay two years ago at their bed-and-breakfast during a vacation in Scotland. A story about their operation, conversion to organic production and the agricultural economic fallout from mad cow disease was featured in the summer 2000 issue of Country Spirit. We returned to the Pickups’ farm this summer during another visit to Scotland.

Devastating epidemic

The Pickups were fortunate in that their flock did not become infected and so did not have to be destroyed. Friends and neighbors were not so lucky. During the FMD outbreak, the Pickups’ flock had to be inspected by veterinarians every three days, Richard reports. Each inspection took eight hours. While his sheep escaped the disease, and eradication, he did lose hogs that were being raised in another location.

The FMD outbreak occurred during lambing season, and Pickup tells of producers having to take just-born lambs to the other end of the lambing shed and killing them. "Grown men were in tears," he relates.

According to a government report, millions of livestock were destroyed during the eight-month crisis. It cost Britain eight billion pounds (about $12 billion) and devastated the island’s meat and livestock trade, the report underscored.

Pickup expected low lamb prices to increase significantly due to the shortage caused by the eradication program. But other European Union countries slapped an embargo on meat and livestock from Great Britain. The already-low prices tumbled because the key markets were shut off.

Adding to the economic blow, the government cut the subsidy on ewes to help pay for the eradication program, further slashing producer income, Pickup reports. To market his lambs, Pickup says that each shipment had to be inspected. The lambs were then loaded on a truck that was sealed with a lead seal. The load was then trucked all the way to southern England where, before the lambs could be slaughtered, the seals were checked to ensure the load had been inspected and hadn’t been tampered with. By the time he paid for the inspections and trucking, Pickup says he barely broke even.

The televised images and newspaper photographs of smoldering animals strewn across the countryside shattered consumer confidence at home and abroad, the effects of which linger even today.

Double shock

Lush pastures thrive in southwest Scotland’s temperate climate. So, not only is it home to millions of sheep and beef cattle, the area also is known as the country’s dairy center. The eradication effort was widespread, wreaking havoc on all three industries.

There was government assistance to replace flocks and herds that had to be destroyed to contain the outbreak. Some producers re-populated. Others took the money and called it quits. Because the Pickups’ operation is organic, it would have cost far more to replace their flock of about 1,400 ewes, so Pickup is particularly happy it didn’t come to that.

There are two main sources of income in this part of Scotland: agriculture and tourism. FMD pummeled both. Hiking in the region’s national park and other areas was banned in an effort to keep FMD from spreading to wild deer, as well as to livestock that graze in those areas. Vehicles had to be disinfected. People panicked. Tourism died.

So, not only did the Pickups’ farming operation suffer, but also visitors to their bed-and-breakfast suddenly dried up, doubling the economic assault to their business. Ironically, Pickup reports, there was a ready supply of potential guests – the hundreds of veterinarians and other workers in the area battling the outbreak. But the Pickups couldn’t have them stay at their farm and risk infecting the animals.

Additionally, the hunting season, another major income source for the Pickups, also was imperiled by the outbreak. The government didn’t give the go-ahead for the season until just several days before it was scheduled to begin, reveals Pickup. By that time, the uncertainty had caused many of their long-time customers to cancel and seek hunting accommodations elsewhere. After finding new locations 2001, a number did not return this year, Pickup continues, deepening the economic loss.

Alan Pitkeathly, who owns and operates a taxi service from nearby Dalbeattie, tells of driving through the hills for miles and seeing only empty, unshorn pastures completely devoid of any sheep or cattle, all of them having been killed and burned in the eradication program. It is something he has never seen before, and hopes to never witness again.

In addition to the precipitous drop last year, tourists are still staying away from the area in droves, he indicates, and tourism-dependent businesses like his are struggling through a second straight dismal year.

Our own experience this summer confirmed firsthand the drought of tourists. Traveling the narrow, winding country roads, it was not unusual to not see another car for a half-hour or more. And at several historical sites, in parking lots normally filled to capacity, ours was the only vehicle and we the only visitors.

A similar struggle

As we drove about his farm in the Land Rover, the Scottish version of our pickup truck better suited to the sometimes steep and rocky terrain, Richard and I talked about the current state of agriculture in the US and Scotland. I think we both were a bit surprised at the similarities.

Scottish and American farmers both face declining prices for their products, as well as increasing input costs. The lamb and wool markets continue to be depressed. Where his flock used to support five caretakers, it now only provides income enough to support one. The wool from his flock used to pay a shepherd for a year; today’s buying power is measured in weeks.

That’s one reason the Pickups decided to go organic with their sheep and the game birds they raise for their hunting and shooting business. Pickup is hoping the premium price will make up some of the lost profitability. Their flock is scheduled to be fully certified organic later this year. With it has come a significantly increased paperwork burden.

The Pickups also increase the profitability of their livestock operation by serving their lamb and game birds for dinner to their bed-and-breakfast guests. Celia has won national awards and recognition for her gourmet cooking prowess with game and traditional Scottish fare. After experiencing those wonderful dinners, a number of guests also purchase the Pickups’ lamb and game birds to take home with them.

The same consolidation of farms taking place in the US is mirrored in Scotland, Pickup confirms, with it becoming more difficult for young producers to establish an operation.

And, like the US, that consolidation is carrying over into agriculture’s infrastructure. Pitkeathly has experienced that personally. He was a trained and schooled cheesemaker by trade, telling how nearly every town had a small creamery that produced cheese. Consolidation closed most of those and, after about a decade-and-a-half in the profession, he found himself without work in his field. It was at that point that he started his taxi business.

One significant difference between the two countries’ agricultural industry is that Scotland has nothing comparable to Farm Credit Services, according to Pickup. There is no lending and financial services provider committed to solely serving agriculture, he says. He is envious of American producers for having a financial organization that specializes in agriculture and serving farmers.

In Scotland, banks view agriculture loans as just another form of commercial financing, Pickup relates. "The loan officers have no experience or background in agriculture," he adds.

He also was amazed at the variety of financial products, interest rate options and flexible terms available to producers through 1st Farm Credit Services. Far fewer alternatives are available to Scottish farmers, he states.

Carrying on

In a report released earlier this summer, the British government admitted it had made serious mistakes in its handling of the FMD outbreak, according to a story carried by Reuters. The report concluded that within a month of the outbreak, "a sense of panic appeared" in government and decision-making became "haphazard and messy."

It further stated that "the first responses to the early cases were not fast enough or effectively coordinated. The paramount importance of speed and especially the rapid slaughter of infected animals was not given overriding priority early on."

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Margaret Beckett admitted that the government would have called the army in earlier if it had grasped the full picture faster. The report recommended developing a national strategy for animal health and disease control, warned against the burning of animals on mass pyres which raised public outrage and suggested inoculation be considered as part of a plan to combat future outbreaks. Beckett said a national ban on livestock movements would in the future apply as soon as the first case of the disease was confirmed.

Today, the pastures of southwest Scotland are again teeming with sheep and cattle. Richard Pickup hopes to never again climb his hill and see the skies blackened by fires consuming so many dead animals and so many producers’ dreams.

For more information on the Pickups’ operation, you can visit their web site at http://freespace.virgin.net/r.pickup/index.htm.