AS BOLTON farmers brace themselves for the spread of the foot and mouth outbreak, a retired Lostock farmer has been remembering the outbreak of 1957 - which was first identified at his farm.

But despite the anguish and heartbreak of the farmers at the time, Mr Frederick Hough, aged 75 of Wicken Lees Farm said this time around it is bigger and worse.

Mr Hough who lived at the farm with his wife and two children had been farming only seven years when the virus struck.

He lost his entire stock of 34 cattle and two pigs which were slaughtered and buried three days after Ministry of Agriculture veterinary officers confirmed they had the disease.

Mr Hough said: " I noticed my young heifers seemed ill, which at their age of only six to eight months old was wrong. I called the Ministry of Agriculture and they sent a vet round. At first he didn't identify it as being foot and mouth, and continued to visit lots of other farms, which would have spread it.

"I had to close down my farm and was told to not send out any milk. A policeman stood at the end of the road and access was denied. A few days later all my cattle and pigs were shot and buried. It was awful at the time, as I hadn't been farming long and I was only just getting on my feet.

"It took about three weeks for all the infected cattle in the area to be slaughtered but it took about three months for things to get back to normal. Cattle couldn't be moved before then and it took a team of men to disinfect the farms."

It was confirmed in the BEN on December 2, 1957 that the disease had spread to Spring Bank Farm, Turton; Smithford Farm, Little Hulton; Home Barn Farm, Deane; Sunderland Field, Lostock Junction and Westview Piggery, Lostock.

The article reported how the Ministry of Agriculture headquarters set up at the Central Police Office to plan operations aimed at preventing a more widespread out-break.

Mr Hough, said the disease was quite quickly halted and kept under control, but he believes the current outbreak will be more difficult to manage.

He said: "There is a lot more movement of cattle these days and all the local auctions have closed, so animals are being taken further afield. I think it will take a lot longer to sort out. Everything was a lot cheaper in my day and prices today are sky high in comparison, so the after effects will be worse."

Mr Hough, who now keeps only his daughter's heifer on his farm, told how he had to slowly re-build his livelihood by buying a herd of pedigree Friesian calves from a retiring farmer in Cumbria. Production, he says, was encouraged by using cash incentives.

He said: "No doubt similar things will happen after the current crisis, there will be a lot of shortages and higher prices. It's an awful time for the farmers."

BOLTON Gun Club has suspended its meetings held at Reeves Farm, Westhoughton in the wake of the crisis.

For the latest news on the epidemic see our National News file on the News left link