VETS across the region are facing months of uncertainty as the foot-and-mouth epidemic wipes out thousands of farm animals.

Some practices in Cumbria have lost up to 60 cent of their farming business to the disease, while others in the North-East have lost a quarter of their farm clients.

Many practices have yet to feel the full impact because they are busy helping the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with animal movement licences.

They are also needed to blood test animals in D notice areas for any signs of the foot-and-mouth, before restrictions can be lifted.

But veterinary experts fear practices will face real problems when the ministry work dries up.

David Tyson, Newcastle-based president of the British Veterinary Association, said: "There is going to be a hiatus until people are allowed to restock and it's getting through that period of time when your cash flow is down that we have a problem.

"One guy in Cumbria said he'd lost 60 per cent of his clients. The effects on these practices is pretty catastrophic."

Castle Vets in Barnard Castle, Teesdale, has lost 130 farm clients, a quarter of the farms that it would normally deal with.

David Peat, a partner in the practice, said: "A dozen of them are dairy farms which is a major part of our client work.

"But it's not just farm work. For about six weeks there was hardly any horse work because racing meetings were off, there was no show jumping or point-to-point.

"We're doing an awful lot of licensing work, but there's a big question mark about what's going to happen after that.

"No one knows how long it's going to be before they can restock.

"Everybody is very much working under the same cloud."

John Macfarlane, partner with Aln Veterinary Group in Alnwick, Northumberland, said they had lost about ten per cent of their farming customers, including one of their biggest clients.

"If you lose lots of clients with small amounts of stock, it's not as bad as losing one or two with large amounts. We've lost one of our biggest ones," he said.

www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/news/fmd