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Foot & Mouth recovery
Introduction
- Hundreds of farms received grants
- 3,500 jobs safeguarded
- 90% survival rate among those supported.
Summary
When foot & mouth disease hit the region hard in 2001, Yorkshire Forward partnered with other agencies to design and deliver a fast and effective economic recovery plan.
Although not always fatal, foot & mouth disease is unpleasant for the animal and reduces yields of milk, meat and young. So when an outbreak hit the UK in 2001, the effects were as economically disastrous as anyone could have feared—especially since our region is 80% rural. Overseas exports were immediately banned. Domestically, a strict containment programme was put into place which effectively closed down the countryside to both agricultural and leisure activities. February’s movement ban affected even healthy farms.
The disease spread rapidly throughout West and North Yorkshire. By mid-2001, entire communities were living on subsidies and it was clear that the loss to the region’s economy would be significant. This included a huge reduction in tourist activity, which was hardly helped by broadcast images of pyres of burning animals. Rural communities face potential ruin as their core industries – agriculture and tourism – plunged into crisis.
Initially, the government made £2.5 available through Yorkshire Forward to assist with economic recovery. However, this proved to fall far short of what was needed, so Yorkshire Forward partnered with other key agencies and interested parties to form the Rural Economic Recovery Group. Other members included the Yorkshire Tourist Board, the national parks, the local authorities, and the various Business Links.
Within weeks, a comprehensive programme of recovery had been drawn up, offering support with anything from marketing to hardship grants and diversification advice. To fund this sizeable support programme, Yorkshire Forward committed £6m of Single Pot funding and secured a further £2m from HM Government and £1m from Objective 2. This enabled the action plan to be rolled out swiftly.
Working with the Business Links, hundreds of small farms received grants of up to £15,000 each, securing their medium-term survival. The programme also included initiatives to enhance skills, enterprise & environmental protection in the hardest-hit areas. By the end of crisis in 2002, it was clear that the recovery plan had proven a remarkable success. 3,500 jobs had been safeguarded, and 90% of those who received assistance survived to trade in 2002.
What is Yorkshire Forward’s connection with this initiative?
Yorkshire Forward partnered with other key agencies and interested parties to form the Rural Economic Recovery Group and committed £6m of Single Pot funding.
