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To: Eclectus who wrote (71693)	6/14/2001 3:50:53 PM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116796

OT(?) Foot-and-mouth crisis linked to farmers' suicides The pressures of foot-and-mouth and BSE on the British farming industry have been brought sharply into focus at inquests on three farmers. Powys coroner John Hollis described the suicides of the three prominent farmers as "catastrophic". He was speaking after the inquest on farmer and livestock haulier Glyn Lewis who hanged himself on his mid-Wales farm in April. The inquest at Welshpool town hall heard that he could no longer cope with the effect of foot-and-mouth on his business. The 59-year-old, of Llwyn-y-maes, had not used his lorry for seven weeks because he was afraid of carrying the disease to unaffected areas. The cattle and sheep on his 90-acre farm were also due to be culled, although foot-and-mouth had not been confirmed at the farm. Earlier, a verdict of suicide was also recorded on a farmer who had been affected by the foot-and-mouth crisis. John Bayliss, 56, was found dead at the family's Borfa Wen farm in Kerry, Newtown, mid-Wales, on April 2 this year. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head. The inquest heard that although none of his cattle had been confirmed as having foot-and-mouth, the farm had had restrictions placed on it. Brian Oakley, 54, suffered a breakdown at the end of the 1990s after problems caused by the crisis in the farming industry which resulted in falling prices. His wife Gillian told the inquest that they had to sell their 270-acre farm and move to a smaller one at Llanfechain in mid-Wales. She added that her husband had never fully recovered from the breakdown and had had a history of depression going back 20 years. A verdict of suicide was recorded on the farmer, who was found hanged in March this year. Mr Hollis said that as he had dealt with three farm suicides, he felt certain that foot-and-mouth and BSE had exacerbated the situations: "We have a situation where the crisis in the farming industry has been catastrophic for the families of these three decent men and their deaths are to be deeply regretted." Story filed: 19:10 Thursday 14th June 2001 ananova.com