Smoke drifting across empty fields signalled another round of slaughter of animals affected by foot-and-mouth disease in Essex yesterday.
On a narrow, winding lane leading to Old England Farm, in Little Warley, two police officers patrolled the road, preventing the movement of nonessential traffic. The farm is close to Cheale Meats abattoir where the first case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed last week.
The burning had been going on all day, Sgt Piers Quinnell of Essex police said. Farther along St Mary's Lane at the Elizabeth Lodge Farm, the gates were locked, and visitors were asked to ring the bell. Buckets of disinfectant beside the gates testified to the strict observance of controls.
When the farmer, Ms Jean Lloyd, came to the gates she would not step into the road.
"We have had Ministry of Agriculture officials here and we are clear of the disease, but I don't want to risk contamination by walking in and out of the farm," she said.
"I am allowed out to deliver eggs and every time I go out I wash down the wheels of the car and dip my shoes in the disinfectant buckets. I don't go out of the farm in the same shoes I wear on the land."
The farm's 20 cattle were too young to be sold this year so the ban on the movement of cattle did not affect them. But the fear of contamination was beginning to affect her life.
"At the weekend I wanted to visit a grave over in Great Warley. But when I heard there was another case near there I decided not to go," she said.
Half-a-mile from Old England Farm, Joan, the manager of White House Kennels, was releasing a black labrador.
"The Ministry of Agriculture has told us not to encourage too many people to visit the kennels because dogs and humans can carry the disease, but apart from that we haven't really been affected," she said.
The plight of local farmers saddened her, she said. "I know a young farmer up the road here who had all his cattle slaughtered last week. It really is very sad."
Three miles away at Rocketts Farm in St Vincent's Hamlet, red and white traffic cones and signs on the gate warning "Strictly No Access" blocked the entrance.
No foot-and-mouth had been discovered among Mr John McTurk's 220 cattle, but like every British farmer he is barred from moving his livestock during the crisis.
"I would sell two or three cattle a week, so I am losing £1,000 a week right now," he said. "There is no artificial insemination service working either. If this carries on, it will mess up calving for next year."
Mr McTurk's family has farmed land since 1963 and he remembers the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Britain in 1967.
"I was close to it then and it is too close now. The relief herdsman has not been near the property because he has connections to Cheale Meats - he had some of their cattle - and I have taken the boys off school because of the risk of contamination.
"We won't be compensated for the loss of money on the cattle. We just have to get on with it. If this continues it could get very hard, but we haven't seen any MAFF [Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food] officials and it has been difficult even to get any basic information. We are all holding our breath. It's in the lap of the gods."