FARMERS in the two counties are continuing to struggle following livestock movement bans after fresh outbreaks of bluetongue.

With Herefordshire and Worcestershire now coming within the 150km (93.2 mile) protection zone, after Defra confirming two new outbreaks of the disease in Cambridgeshire and Kent, this has meant more upheaval for farmers.

Julia Evans, a beef and sheep farmer in Whitebourne, Herefordshire said: "It feels like this is the fourth time we have been hit. First with the flooding, two bouts of foot and mouth and now this. It is very difficult."

Mrs Evans, the Herefordshire NFU chairman said she was selling pedigree sheep at the moment, and while she could move them within the larger restricted areas, it was still a bitter blow.

"There are only limited places that you can take your animals to the slaughter too. I have also just been struck down with TB. I had entered 20 pedigree heffers for sale. We haven't had a reaction to TB since 2004, but four of them reacted to it. Now my business has been shut down."

Mrs Evans had to have the four animals destroyed and the 16 remaining are back on her farm.

"I can't sell them. They are now back on the farm and the grass is quickly disappearing. It is all quite difficult really."

Mrs Evans added she hoped bluetongue, which caused by a virus transmitted by midges, would diminish at the beginning of November as it got colder.

"What we need is a cold winter, that really is our only hope."

But while farmers are struggling, for others in the meat industry they haven't found the restrictions as bad.

At Worcester's Livestock Market, Clive Roads, a partner with McCartneys and auctioneer, said with the county within the restriction zone it was good news for them.

"Now it has got larger, perversely it has helped as more farmers can travel to us. We wish we hadn't got bluetongue but it is here. We are just making the best of a bad job. But we can't trade in Wales, which is quite a blow."

He added: "Farming over the past three or four months has taken a hefty blow. It is going to take some time to recover."

David Partridge, owner of abattoir C E Partridge and Son in Bromsgrove, said business had not been effected too badly as they just had to apply for the correct licenses.

And at Worcester Wholesale Meat co Ltd on Bromyard Road in St John's - which was badly affected in August because of the foot and mouth outbreak - owner Simon Jones said he business was not suffering.

The news comes just as foot and mouth restrictions, including a 20 day standstill were revoked in England.

Bluetongue infects cattle, sheep, goats, deer and camelids, but not pigs.