A PENSAX farmer won a minor victory over Government vets who caved in to pressure and allowed four cattle, which had tested positively for bovine TB, to be destroyed at the farm.

Trading Standards had obtained a court order on behalf of the State Veterinary Service for eight cattle to be removed from Lower Snead Farm and destroyed, despite objections from the farm owner, Margaret Booton.

She and family friend, Samantha Qureshi, who had hand-reared three of the cattle as pets, had campaigned for them to be allowed a second test because of concerns over the accuracy of the initial routine skin test.

Defra, however, issued a statement yesterday, saying post mortems on the six animals destroyed showed five were suffering from the advanced stages of tuberculosis. Visible lesions had not been confirmed on the sixth, although the agency claimed the disease was "highly likely" to be present.

Government vets, who had insisted on the cows going to three separate abattoirs around the country for slaughter on Tuesday, backed down and allowed four of them to be put down on the farm.

Miss Qureshi's pets, Mini and Flick, however, were taken to slaughter in Leicestershire and, although she travelled with them, was not allowed to stay after they were placed in the holding pen at the abattoir.

"I am devastated that, despite my objections, they will now enter the food chain," she said.

"I suppose we won a minor victory in that they allowed four of the cows to be put down at the farm, but they wouldn't allow us at any of the post mortems," she said.

A petition started by the two women, calling for better testing and cattle vaccination has attracted several hundred signatures so far.

Bovine TB, which is mainly spread by badgers, is rife in the area around Pensax and Miss Qureshi and Mrs Booton said they would support a cull.