OAKLANDS Park, near Newnham, the impressive former home of Forest mining magnate Henry Crawshaw, and now the centre of the farming activities of Camphill Village Trust, will become the focus of nationwide media interest this week.

Not a farm animal remains alive on any of the farms surrounding the Park – they have all been killed in the massive cull to try and contain the spread of foot and mouth.

By now the Oaklands Park herd of Shorthorn cattle and the flock of 100 ewes should also have been burning on a local pyre, but the Park has stood its ground and has refused to let the animals be taken.

They have been urging the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to think again and try another approach. They want vaccination.

They will know this week if MAFF agrees to let them keep the animals.

And they are using the fact that all the land surrounding them is now devoid of animals as a strong argument in favour of them being allowed to keep their stock.

"A Ministry vet inspected the stock on Sunday and could find no clinical signs of foot and mouth. We are expecting a response to our argument that it is not necessary to cull perfectly healthy animals by Wednesday. It is a question of holding tight and waiting to see what MAFF will come up with," said a spokesman.

"We say vaccinate, and that is always a possibility. We are so far clear of FMD and, if you like, an island, with no other stock around us. It seems so pointless to slaughter perfectly good animals," he said.

The Trust is taking legal advice from a firm of Bristol solicitors and say they will do all they can to protect the stock.

With the aim of self-sufficiency, the Trust's herd of 60 cattle has been selectively breed over 25 years.

"They are Shorthorns, on the edge of being rare breeds, and they are very special to us. Likewise the flock of 100 ewes. They have been developed not only for meat but to produce wool which we use here for weaving.

"If they were culled it would not be easy to replace them as this sort of stock is not readily available," he said.

"What we are asking for is a different way of thinking about the whole issue."

But they insist they have not barricaded themselves in and they will not break the law.

"Whilst we are arguing with MAFF we will not let anyone in. We are hoping for a sensible conclusion to this and we are continuing to take legal advice," he said.