More than 1,000 sheep and lambs on Baildon Moor were due to be slaughtered today after being identified as potentially having "dangerous contact" with a foot and mouth infected area.
The cull was coinciding with the biggest day in the town's calendar - Baildon Gala.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed the sheep were being culled after being identified as potentially having had ''dangerous contact'' with an infected area.
The animals, which roam freely across Baildon Moor and Shipley Glen, are owned by Gary Greenwood of Hawksworth.
He said: "I'm devastated. I've been farming 30 years and worked hard to build everything up. This has to be my worst day in farming."
Baildon Gala was due to take place this afternoon at Sandal Primary School - less than half a mile from Shipley Glen.
Graham Illes of Baildon and District Round Table's gala committee said: "It's exceptionally bad timing. At the moment it is going ahead as planned unless we're told otherwise."
Shipley MP Chris Leslie said: "I'm very sad it now seems to be affecting this area. But it's important we eradicate this disease."
l Two more cases of foot andmouth have been identified in Settle and Skipton, bringing the total number of cases in the area to 96.
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