Thousands of jobs in the livestock haulier industry are
under threat from the Government’s ban on the transport of live animals.
The Freight Transport Association estimates that there could
be losses of £5m across the industry due to the outbreak of foot and mouth
disease.
Around 400 companies have come to a standstill due to the
government’s ban on the transport of live animals across the UK, claims the
FTA.
“There can be no doubt about the seriousness of this
situation. Many livestock hauliers are
operating on the slenderest of margins,” said FTA head of external affairs
Geoff Dossetter.
He added, “The loss of business will have a serious impact
on their cash flow and many companies will be reviewing their future on the
basis of this.”
Haulier Gilder & Sons would normally expect to make
about £40,000 per week from meat and livestock movements across the UK and
abroad.
Shaun Gilder of Gloucester-based Gilder & Sons said, “We
can only withstand this ban for two to three weeks. If it goes on any longer, we will be forced to make
redundancies.”
By Karen
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