The recovery of the livestock market post World War I was not without its interruptions. In 1922 foot and mouth disease reared its ugly head, initially in Perthshire and then more nationally in the following two years. Spalding was affected in November 1924, despite the nearest outbreak of foot and mouth disease being at Marholme near Peterborough, Spalding market was closed with restrictions against the movement of livestock with the exception of fat stock.[i] Despite the sale of fat stock being permitted none were sent to market and the local supply of meat dried up with many butchers in the Spalding area running out of meat. The outcry by local farmers, traders and butchers was great as they saw the measures as being both “silly and futile”. This perhaps illustrates a certain attitude of narrow thinking, parochialism and resentment of central authorities as illustrated by their protest meeting:
“Mr J.W. Davison butcher and auctioneer of Donnington, chairmaned the gathering, and expressed the opinion that it was quite time that it was brought to the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture that farmers and butchers alike were tired of the absurd and unfair way in which regulations were enforced.
Mr. J.H. Mountain, butcher of Boston that it was for that meeting to protest in the most emphatic manner against these ‘wanton and unnecessary restrictions’. He was of the opinion that there were ‘sinister influences’ at work maintaining this state of affairs. Permanent officials entrenched in lucrative positions in Whitehall were only to ready to certify practically every suspected case of foot and mouth disease, when as a matter of fact, many were not foot and mouth disease at all. They had also the breeders to contend with – (hear hear)- who had to a larger extent bolstered up the restrictions. With them it was sheer hide bound prejudice. In his opinion to spend five or six million pounds to combat the disease in order to secure a million pounds of export trade was bad business. The American Meat Trusts also favoured the restrictions to frighten the British consumer from buying English meat (applause).
Mr. Tom Holland, farmer, of Thurlby Bourne, said that although he did not altogether disagree with the restrictions, he most emphatically disagreed in the way in which they were enforced; a way that was calculated to cause the maximum inconvenience to everybody concerned. Cattle had been slaughtered mercilessly, and how much better were they? (A voice: none.) Outbreaks continued to occur in the most consistent manner and he thought it was time the Ministry started to use a little common sense in the way they administered the regulations. He suggested that the Diseases of Animals Committee of the County Councils should co-operate with the Butchers Associations and the Farmers Union.
Mr. Sam Frier of Sharpe’s Bridge , Pinchbeck said that he had an outbreak of the disease on his farm thirty years ago. It occurred about a month before the December fair. He cured it and each of the beast went into the fair and made £40 a piece (applause). A medical friend of his put the case in a nut shell, “When are we going to have an order killing children because they have the measles?”
Mr. George Hix of Holbeach described the restrictions as imbecile. It was ridiculous to go on locking up the markets as had been done. Isolation and treatment of the cattle was quite effective.
Mr. George Adams, Spalding, said he was quite surprised that farmers had not taken action before as they were the biggest losers. He was of the opinion that before an order was put into force there should be a conference of butchers, farmers and auctioneers with a view to inducing the Ministry to take a more lenient view. He moved a resolution, ‘That butchers and farmers should have direct representation on the Diseases of Animals Committees of the County Councils, that all meetings of these Committees should be open to the Press, and that before restrictions were enforced a local conference should be held.’
This resolution was carried.”[ii]
There are several points I note from this. The first is that many of the names of farmers and butchers can be easily recognised by a local person of my age today. The Mountains and Adams butcher’s brands are still active today. Sam Frier is right in that foot and mouth disease can be successfully treated but due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, risk of loss of production and the loss of market confidence compulsory culling is and still remains government policy. The disease can be caught and carried by humans. It has to be noted that just under 30 years prior there are accounts of Sam Frier’s cattle suffering an outbreak of anthrax with no contention to the destruction of his animals in that instance for what was usually a fatal disease in both cattle and humans. Mr Mountain’s complaint about protecting the breeders business is understood, but at this stage Britain was a significant exporter of bloodstock especially to Australia, New Zealand and North America, that whilst the value of this business as a total was lower, to the individual breeder each animal sold could be of extremely high value. It was this trade in high value blood stock[iii] that was the last area of commerciality for some breeds, most notably in Lincolnshire the Lincoln Long- wool sheep. Mr. Mountain’s fear of conspiracy is perhaps worthy of today’s conspiracy theorists on the internet and social media, however when you look at the names of those in power and cross reference their interests you do see those with vested interests in rearing herds of notable blood stock and the developing processing industries, but perhaps this is simply “of the era”. It also has to be noted that when you look at the affected markets those towns with “off-street” markets were deemed lower risk in the transmission of disease and the desire to remove street markets had been expressed by Westminster for over fifty years at this point.
The Spalding Guardian of 1924 was very clever in making a subtle point without alienating the locals by having two photos adjacent to each other: one showed the new covered Chicken Auction that was nearly complete in the Sheep Market; [iv] the other showed an empty New Road where the cattle was normally held with just six horses for sale – the scene described as “The Barren Nature of the Beast Market.” There was increasing pressure from both Central government and forward-thinking locals to establish a modern covered-in livestock market. The paper’s market report for the date states, “the residents of New Road had the pleasure of being free for one week.”
By 1930 plans were being drawn up to establish a modern enclosed livestock market off the streets of Spalding. But, in the meantime, regulations continued and as ever for this era the farmers gathered to protest about the 1926 Markets and Fairs (Weighing of Cattle) Act which meant the local authority had to install a dial weighing machine. They objected to the cost, despite the Act restricting the amount being charged.
Although the plans were initially drawn up in 1930 change happened slowly. The new livestock market was completed in 1938. Tuesday October 11th 1938 saw the last livestock market to take part on the streets of Spalding.
[i] Fat Stock is the term given to an animal ready for slaughter and consumption.
[ii] The Spalding Guardian November 8th 1924
[iii] Blood stock is an animal traded for its breeding value.
[iv] This was located where Heron supermarket is in 2023. It was built by the Council but with some funding provided by Mr. T. A. White whose shop was opposite side of the sheep market. He was an advocate of covered purpose built markets, but experienced some opposition from farmers and butchers who feared they would have to pay for it.
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