STAFF employed by the Bromsgrove centre of the world's largest cattle improvement organisation face being laid of if the foot and mouth epidemic continues for any length of time.

The warning came this week from Frank Degraaf, managing director of Avoncroft Sires, which provides most of the diary farmers in the district with an artificial insemination service.

The firm is part of CR Delta, based at Arnhem in the Netherlands, the largest of its kind in the world.

Although no stud bulls have stood at Avoncroft since last December, current restrictions mean staff cannot visit farms to carry out the service.

Mr Degraff, who lives in Droitwich Spa, spoke yesterday of the grave situation.

He said all visits to farms in the area had ceased immediately the first case of the highly contagious disease had been reported last month in a bid to stop it spreading.

"We are not laying off our staff at the moment," he said. "They are catching up on paperwork and stocktaking, but we will have to think about it if the outbreak continues."

The Avoncroft centre was a pioneering venture when it began more than 50 years ago. Farmers in the district, who before had generally used their own bulls, joined forces to form a co-operative to buy quality stud animals to inject quality into their herds.

The scheme prospered and many of the bulls won national and international awards.

Today, semen used at Bromsgrove comes from the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and the USA.