FIELDS in the region's devastated countryside could remain empty for up to three years, experts warned yesterday, as figures were released showing the extent of the slaughter in the wake of foot-and-mouth disease.
More than one in ten of all farm animals in the North-East have been killed so far as a result of the epidemic.
Figures published by Maff yesterday show that, up to 7pm on Monday, 255,000 cows, sheep and pigs had been culled in the region, with another 148,000 slaughtered in North Yorkshire.
The NFU said the extent of the devastation meant it would take up to three years for farmers to restock to pre-epidemic levels.
The figures were released as farmers were warned to brace themselves for new clusters of foot-and-mouth unless restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease are observed more strictly.
However, there was encouraging news yesterday with only one new case confirmed, in Berwickshire.
Latest figures show that almost 38,000 cattle, 210,000 sheep and 7,000 pigs have been culled in the North-East. The totals, which include infected animals, livestock culled as dangerous contacts and those slaughtered on suspicion, represent one in every eight cattle, one in 11 sheep and one in 13 pigs.
In North Yorkshire, 23,000 cattle, 118,000 sheep and almost 7,000 pigs have been slaughtered, representing one in every 18 cattle, one in 17 sheep and one in 118 pigs.
Jonathan Birnie, NFU policy adviser for the North-East, said the short-term consequence would be an increase in imports. "It does mean that people are going to be paying a bit more for animals when it comes to restocking, and there will be quite a demand for suckler calves.
"Even then, I don't think we will be back up to normal levels by the end of this year, it is going to be two or three years before that happens."
David Maughan, chairman of the NFU livestock committee for Durham and Northumberland, said: "There will be terrific demand and some people may find they can't replace stock."
Meanwhile, the Government's chief scientific adviser, Professor David King, said the only way to stop more clustlers was to "maintain a strict regime".
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