FARMERS have been condemned as irresponsible for dumping 13 calves outside the RSPCA's wildlife hospital in Nantwich.

The calves, aged between one and three weeks old were abandoned outside Stapeley Grange on Monday.

The farmers are blaming the government for a crisis in the industry following the scrapping of the Calf Processing Aid Scheme.

This was a subsidy introduced by the Government after the BSE crisis, and since it ended farmers claim the calves are now virtually worthless.

The Society has written to the NFU criticising the farmers' actions and is calling for an interim payment to be introduced to help ease the situation.

Staff at the wildlife hospital made temporary overnight arrangements for the calves but have no facilities for farm animals and they are now looking for a suitable home for them.

"While we sympathise with the farmers' position and have done everything we can to support them on this issue, it is totally irresponsible for them to use calves as pawns in publicity stunts by dumping them," said John Alvienius, senior scientific officer in the RSPCA's farm animals department.

"The RSPCA does not have facilities for large numbers of farm animals and these farmers showed a complete disregard for their welfare.

"Staff were forced to leave their urgent work rehabilitating wild animals to ensure the calves did not come to harm.

"Farmers must be warned that if any animal is caused unnecessary suffering through further stunts of this kind, the RSPCA will be forced to prosecute them for cruelty."

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