Farmer William Lambert is looking to the future with new confidence - five years on from the week when vets confirmed his animals had the first confirmed case of foot and mouth in North Yorkshire. In a series of special reports, we're investigating how the county has recovered from that devastating period in the spring and summer of 2001. In all, the disease was found at 133 farms in North Yorkshire - and more than 370,000 animals were slaughtered. I went to Wensleydale where the disease first entered the county. At William Lambert's farm work is underway installing a new milking parlour. It's no small investment in the future of his business, as William explains "It's costing us a minimum of £60,000 to get it put in and installed. For a hill farmer, at 1000ft, that's a big investment." | "...we had everything taken from us and had to start again..." | |
It's a long way from five years ago, when on March 6th 2001, vets diagnosed foot and mouth on his farm near Hawes - and confirmed the awful truth the next day. One hundred and seventeen cattle and 168 sheep were slaughtered. It was like a bereavement, he said. But he wasn't going to let the disease beat him. "My wife Claire and I, we always had a mind to look to the future. I fancied starting with a clean sheet of paper. We said at the time that we had to do what we do best and enjoy the most. I think that's exactly where we are now." They had to wait 10 months until they could restock Raygill Farm - before they did they took a momentous decision. William Lambert's family had farmed in Wensleydale for 500 years - and they'd always had sheep. But not anymore. They decided to concentrate on dairy cows. "It's not a decision we took lightly, had it not been for the fact that we had everything taken from us and had to start again." It made economic sense - you need a lot of sheep to make a profit. But the first years weren't easy. The investment wouldn't have been possible without Wensleydale Dairy Products, or Wensleydale Creamery as it's more affectionately known, at nearby Hawes. They buy nearly all the milk in Upper Wensleydale including that produced at William Lambert's farm - and at a good price. The company's managing director is David Hartley. "Essentially the basis of our product is Wensleydale milk, which we make into Wensleydale cheese. So if they're not there, then our raison d'etre has gone with it. So it's in our interest to keep them producing milk." With Wensleydale Dairy Products itself looking to expand in the future - with new markets and products - William Lambert now wants to make the most of his own investment. "After we've got this done, we want to reap the rewards, and pay for it of course." All the Wensleydale farmers are working "slightly differently" to what they did before foot and mouth - they have all, in the words of William Lambert, stolen an opportunity out of a crisis. Mike Kemp | 
