THE devastation of foot and mouth has become too much for farmer John Barnes.

The man who has spent a lifetime building up his business broke down yesterday as he stood outside his home and watched neighbour Colin Sutcliffe's sheep and cattle stock being culled -- just days after his own animals were slaughtered.

John, 45, of Dockber Laithe Farm, Sawley, wept when he said: "I didn't realise how I would feel, but now it is all over I don't know what I am going to do next, I don't know whether I can carry on. I just want to curl up in a ball and be swallowed by a big black hole."

The Samaritans, who set up a foot and mouth helpline, today confirmed that they had been very busy with calls from concerned farmers struggling to cope with the effects of the outbreak and worried about delays in compensation payments.

John whose farm is one of the seven cases confirmed in the Ribble Valley in the last two weeks, and his wife, Diane, had to send their two children, Richard 16, and Alison 13, away to their grandparents so that they would not witness the treatment of the animals so near to their house.

John predicted that foot and mouth would wipe out the livestock industry in the Ribble Valley and said: "When the officials began culling my cattle and sheep on Wednesday, the shock did not hit home until everybody had left the farm.

"The kids are absolutely devastated, just like the rest of us. They used to help me with the animals. They are treated in many respects as pets and to see 110 cattle and 2,300 sheep vanish in less than three days is just heartbreaking." The outbreak is affecting the whole community. Carholme Farm is the only farm out of six other farms in Paythorne, near Gisburn, where sheep and cattle have not been slaughtered.

Alison Redmayne, who runs the farm with her husband, Keith, said: "MAFF are supposed to have come to see us but we haven't heard from them since last Friday, so at the moment we are having to put our cattle in silo fields because we are running out of grass for them to feed on."

Bernadette Robinson of Withgill Fold, Clitheroe, lives next door to Withgill Farm, where the farmer has 1,000 healthy cattle, she said: "We are very worried for our neighbour because it is only a matter of time before the disease comes within a three kilometre zone of his farm.

"It is not fair that healthy animals have to suffer in the same way that infected herds have to. How would people feel if they had to have their dog put down even though there was nothing wrong with it?"

A spokesperson for the Samaritans, Blackburn, said: "We have had all sorts of people calling who are worried about foot and mouth in the area. Our advice is that we are here for people 24 hours a day when times are getting tough." (The number is 0845 7909192.)

There were no other outbreaks confirmed yesterday, although John warned that the worst is not yet over.

He said: "I have been living at this farm for six years now and it has taken me all of that time to build up my stock, so that I can just about manage to make a living out of it.

"There are many other farms that are going to be ruined by foot and mouth. The Valley will be wiped out by its effects." There have been suggestions by many farmers and local residents that deer are to blame for the spread of the disease, but MAFF have said the spread of the disease is due to the movement of people and animals in the area.

John added: "I understand that it is difficult to catch wild deer, but if this is the reason for foot and mouth devastating so many peoples lives, then it is about time something was done about it."

MAFF have arranged to open an operations centre at Gisburn Auction Mart to help bring teams of vets, the Army and MAFF officials together at one point of call.

Chief Veterinary Officer Jim Scudamore, has warned farmers in the Settle and Clitheroe areas to continue to be vigilant to avoid spreading foot and mouth disease.

He said: "The outbreak has developed rapidly, and the situation we face, with farmers having lots of parcels of land over a wide area, means that even greater care is needed to stop the spread by the movements of people, animals, vehicles and other equipment.

"All such movements will be investigated and, where there is considered to be any risk that disease has spread, all susceptible animals will be killed as dangerous contacts.

"We will continue with our existing controls, which means that all the susceptible animals on the infected premises must be killed within 24 hours of the initial report."

Ribble Valley Tory candidate Nigel Evans, said: "Foot and mouth will change the countryside of the Ribble Valley forever unless something is done to stop it swiftly.

"The virus is with us. It is spreading apace and it is absolutely devastating. Unless we get a proper package for recovery and compensation, which is paid swiftly, many farmers will leave the industry and never return."