A BRINGSTY farmer is flying to the Caribbean after his entire stock of 800 sheep and cattle were slaughtered on suspicion of having foot and mouth.

Mark Brodie, of Moorhall Farm, said that since he has nothing left, he is off to the Caribbean to stay on his friend's yacht for a month and then he is going to Texas for a year.

The 30-year-old farmer had built up his stock of 400 cattle and 400 sheep since he left school in 1983 and farming has been in his family since the 1930s. Now he does not know whether he wants to stay in the ailing industry.

"I don't know how I feel. I don't care anymore," he said.

Mr Brodie said his sheep had been suffering badly from being kept in the same muddy fields.

"They were lambing in the mud and dying but if we're not allowed to move them we shouldn't in case we spread the disease. You've just got to watch them suffer.

"We put them on the welfare scheme to get them moved but there are 1 million sheep waiting for that. I heard back from the scheme yesterday, 11 days after they were slaughtered.

"I don't know what's going to happen to farming in this country but I don't really think it's got a future."