Apart from two early lambs, there are few signs of spring yet in the Howgill Fells. Inside the sheds we have 60 cattle, eating the hay and silage that was made in our meadows last summer. Soon it will be time for them to be turned out to the fields or sold on to another farm.
Some of last year’s calves are to be sold, and so this morning we must test them for tuberculosis before they can move. We’ve never had TB, but because there are farmers in our area who have, we are under restrictions. These restrictions are needed for public safety, but are a drain on our own time, money and emotional resources.
It is still below freezing when the vet arrives with a hat pulled tightly over her ears, and she begins the process of disinfecting herself before handling our cattle. She fills a bucket with disinfectant and water, and brushes her wellies and waterproof trousers down carefully. I ask if any TB has been found in the area this week. “Not at my jobs, no.” I remark that she must be a lucky charm. “Please don’t say that, I don’t want to jinx things,” she says. We are all a little nervous this morning.
The cows are waiting in the ancient stone pens that were used by drovers in the 18th century when this was a coaching inn, sending up clouds of steamy breath as they jostle about, wondering what is going to happen next. The cattle crush – the piece of steel machinery that holds them in place – is moved in front of the gate so they can be held safely as the vet looks at the two sites on their necks where she injected TB earlier this week. She holds a pair of plier-like instruments in one hand to measure any swelling, and a clipboard in the other.
I’ve hardly slept this week. The consequences for the cattle and for our farm business will be huge if TB is found. First in is a steer and the crush closes around his head. I feel a little faint, and I hope that my world is not about to close in around me.
• Country Diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary
• The last paragraph of this article was amended on 30 March 2022, to mention a steer, instead of a cow.
