AS EVER I am indebted to good friends for keeping me up to date with what has been in the wider public arena of late.

This takes me back to sheep again and why not, having spent most of my life among them, unlike the growing number of those in “highish” places who, if they aren’t going all out to get rid of our national flock, are, or so it would appear, dedicated to decimate it at the least.

Oh, how they would love to import the lamb from abroad. Anywhere will do regardless of animal welfare, disease or cleanliness.

Don’t get me wrong, some of the world’s lamb production will be nearly as good as British, but much of it leaves a lot to be desired and some of it could be classed as absolute rubbish. But you and I know why they want it don’t we? Because it’s cheap. In spite of what has happened over the last few years we refuse to lie down and play dead.

“Private Eye” reminds me that Britain has the largest number of sheep in Europe and that that has been so ever since so many of our finest medieval churches were built with the money from wool. And you don’t need me to remind you that the prosperity of the “Auld Grey Town of Kendal” was built on wool.

Remember how junior minister Elliot Morley said that if BSE was found in sheep then the whole national flock would have to be destroyed. He didn’t seem concerned at the worry that caused all over the place. But BSE has never been found in sheep. Remember also how a government audit discovered that when scientists were examining brains to try to find BSE in sheep, they turned out to be cattle brains. Did anyone apologise for that. Well, what do you think?

I am reminded that DEFRA’s famous pre-emptive cull took out at least seven million sheep and even Europe questioned whether that was legal or not as did the Anderson inquiry.

What about professors Collinge and Anderson, who, if I understand correctly, both urged that if it could be proved that sheep could catch BSE then it would follow that the entire national sheep flock must be destroyed. But they did not find BSE in sheep. What is it they used to say? “With friends like these?” I was not going to mention that other experiment but I will. That was the one where scientists injected BSE infected material into, I’m not sure if it was ten sheep’s brains, and two of them were found later to show signs of BSE. Well I ask you: what the blazes did they expect to find? Chicken Pox?

My message to those who would do away with us is: “In spite of all your efforts, we intend to soldier on, and if there is worse to come don’t be surprised if we bite back.

Dialect word: Clag, meaning to stick to.

Thought for the day: By their fruits shall ye know them.