Foot-and-mouth precaution shuts farm

10:34am Wednesday 28th February 2001

College Farm has been closed to the public as a precaution due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

The Finchley farm, which exists as a community and educational facility, will not receive its usual income of around £1,500 from visitors to a monthly open day.

Tenant farmers Chris and Jane Ower rely on this money to feed the animals and pay the staff.

"I don't know what we're going to do," said Mr Ower.

"The Ministry [of Agriculture] aren't telling farms to close to the public but they're advising people not to go to farms. It seems that the whole thing is getting out of hand," he said.

A prolonged closure could be disastrous for the long-term future of the farm, which has been struggling to stay afloat for years.

Visitor numbers have already dropped in the last year because Barnet's schools have stopped sending children on outings to the farm.

Mr Ower believes that the schools are too afraid to send their children to farms after Edgware Infant School pupil Tom Dowling contracted e-coli on a visit to Bowman's Farm near St Albans in 1997 and is now severely brain-damaged.

The Highways Agency, which owns the farm, has agreed to sell it to the College Farm Trust.

However, the Trust is relying on Lottery money to fund the purchase and must wait for a second feasibility study to be carried out before the Lottery will part with the much-needed cash.

Although the open day on March 4 has been cancelled, the farm's shop remains open for business.

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