WITH travel restrictions caused by the Ipswich blue-tongue outbreak in cattle imposed over a huge area up to Lincolnshire, Yorkshire farmers on the other side of the River Humber are today praying for westerly winds.

Blue tongue is particularly deadly to sheep

Blue tongue, which is particularly deadly to sheep, has been spread by tiny biting midges blown by winds from Africa up to Northern Europe and is believed to have crossed the North Sea to Suffolk two weeks ago.

Should it spread to northern Lincolnshire, Yorkshire is but a tiny step away because experts believes that the disease carrying midges can be blown as far as 100 miles in a day.

Easterly winds would be capable of spreading the danger throughout England. Westerlies, however, would help confine the disease until, hopefully, colder nights begin to kill off the infected midges.

In the meantime, there have now been seven confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease in cattle in the Sussex area, meaning that movement restrictions will stay in place in Yorkshire for longer than hoped, bringing even more misery to Dales hill farmers who at this time of the year need to sell their livestock on for fattening in the valley bottoms.