HILL farmer Oliver Edwards has spoken of how an outbreak of bluetongue disease has contributed to his toughest year in five decades of farming on Exmoor.

The area is currently experiencing one of the worst outbreaks in the country of the disease, which is spread by midges and affects sheep and cattle but not humans.

More than half of the country’s known cases have occurred on Somerset and Devon farms with nearly 1,000 confirmed cases and 2,500 more under investigation.

Mr Edwards is the fifth generation of his family to run Westermill Farm, near Exford, where he raises grass-fed Aberdeen Angus beef and sheep and manages a range of nature conservation projects.

He said: “As an Exmoor sheep and beef farmer, we have had one of the worst years of farming on the moor.

“In the 45 years of running our generational family farm, I think it is up there at the top of the most difficult and challenging years.

“Very wet winter. Driest summer on record. Running costs through the roof, and now, to top it all, bluetongue.

“Financially, this could now be a farmer’s breaking point.”

Mr Edwards said farmers had received little support since the single farm payment subsidy scheme ended more than a decade ago and it was time the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) did something to help.

West Somerset MPs Rachel Gilmour and Sir Ashley Fox have both attacked the lack of Government support for farmers during the bluetongue outbreak.

Mrs Gilmour this week called for the Government to set up a bluetongue taskforce and invest £1 billion in farming.

She urged Ministers to act immediately to save livestock from the accelerating bluetongue outbreak and fix a ‘fundamentally broken’ farm payment system as farmers faced catastrophic losses from disease restrictions and culls.

Mrs Gilmour said: “Throughout the summer, I have been listening to and speaking with our farmers, who have told me the horrors of what they are facing.

“It has become clear there is not currently an adequate support system in place for them, whether it is for testing, reporting, or financial support.

“Let alone any compassion or empathy for our farmers.

“This is not just about the wellbeing of their livestock, this is about the wellbeing of our farmers.

“We need a bluetongue taskforce in place immediately to tackle this emergency head on.

“Food security is national security.”

Sir Ashley accused the Government of being ‘asleep at the wheel’ over the bluetongue outbreak.

He said: “This Government has cut the money available for testing by 74 per cent over the past 12 months.

“There are now reports that it is taking weeks for vaccines to reach the farmers and vets who need them.

“Livestock farming is an important part of our rural economy in Somerset, and this outbreak is causing real concern for farmers across our area.

“I will continue to press the Government to ensure Somerset farmers get the support they need to protect their animals and their livelihoods.”