Farmers across Oxfordshire say they could face ruin if a 20-day ban on livestock movement is introduced, writes Ben Lloyd.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food proposes to ban farmers from selling animals or sending them to slaughter for 20 days after buying new livestock.

Maff is currently consulting farmers on the move, which it says could have prevented the current foot and mouth outbreak.

Marilyn Ivings, who has a small beef herd at Mill Farm, Church Enstone, near Chipping Norton, says the ban could plunge farmers into serious financial hardship.

She said: "It would be an organisational nightmare. I think it would be too inhibiting to put into force. You just would not be able to move anything."

She warned farmers would have to be constantly thinking about the guidelines while running their farm.

"You wouldn't be able to buy anything in because you couldn't take the risk of having to shut down for 20 days.

"It just seems as though someone somewhere wants to say: 'We have done something. Look at what we've done - we've made it better'.

"All it will do is create a nightmare for organising any animals.

"It has all sorts of implic- ations that they haven't thought of." She added it could lead to cattle being stuck on holdings until they were more than 30 months old. This would mean they would no longer be deemed fit for human consumption because of BSE guidelines.

Brian Lloyd, chairman of Thame Farmers Auction Market, who farms near Long Crendon, Bucks, said: "Every week of the year I would buy and sell between 20 and 30 cattle. That means if I buy this week I can't sell for three weeks. That's the difficulty with the proposals.

"It will cause a serious problem."

"Anything that is implemented must not impede the traditional farmer."

Matt Ware, National Farmers Union policy manager for Oxfordshire, said the proposal, which has its consultation deadline in June, was a knee jerk reaction to foot and mouth. He said a better solution would be to introduce stricter controls on foreign meat imports.