April 6th, 2001...it's a date etched in the memory of Beaford farmer Philip Lake.

It was the day he lost his entire stock of 216 dairy cattle and 22 sheep - not because they had foot-and-mouth, but because a neighbouring farm did.

Philip, who also did the milk round in the Beaford area, lost his animals as a result of the contiguous cull...and there to capture the tragedy was Dartmoor photographer, Chris Chapman.

The bank manager calls Philip...

Chris followed the fortunes of Philip over the weeks and months of 2001, and took scores of black and white photos which tell the story of Ramscliffe Farm - as Philip hit rock bottom with the loss of his stock, and then recovered to restock in November of that year.

Chris made a return to the farm in November 2002, for the first of a series of exhibitions of the photographs taken at Ramscliffe.

It's a fitting and piognant place to start the 12-month tour of the exhibitions - and it was Philip's idea.

But how did Chris even get permission to take the photos in the first place? Well, the Ministry of Agriculture allowed him access to the farm - enabling him to capture the awfulness of it all on camera.

Philip takes the herd for sedation prior to the cull

Chris said: "It obviously meant I couldn't go to any other farms. The idea orginally was that I would visit five or six farms. But I couldn't do that, for fear of spreading the disease. So I decided to choose one."

He contacted Beaford Arts - who are behind the exhibition - and they put him in touch with Philip.

"I had rung quite a few farmers, and they said they'd love to help but couldn't really, given the circumstances. And then Philip said 'yes, I'd love to see you.' He said they were contiguous at that stage.

"I went to the farm every few days, taking pictures of Philip and his family going about their everyday life - at the same time, knowing they has this sword of Damacles hanging over them.

"Most of the pictures were taken on the day of the cull, which was a quite horrendous day.

The culled sheep lie in a field beside the road

"For me, the picture of the culled sheep was very important, because the Government was saying we were still open for business, and we weren't at all. For those involved in it, it was the most horrendous time."

Chris continued to take pictures at Ramscliffe, as Philip set about rebuilding his life. Then, in November 2001, he restocked with a beef herd.

"I was very touched when Philip suggested holding the exhibition at the farm. I think it's his way of saying 'come in, this is what happened here, on my farm'."

In an interview with Chris, Philip said he just had to carry on. But he added: "I don't know what the future is - you tell me.

"The ones who seriously stay in farming will have to go big – two or three hundred dairy cows and a couple of thousand sheep.

"I've got three daughters so I don't feel I need to go back into serious farming. I can muddle along. Do a bit of arable, beef and sheep. But I couldn't walk away from farming completely. It's in my blood."

The "Silence at Ramscliffe" photo exhibition was at Ramscliffe Farm, Beaford on November 9th - the start of a 12-month tour at venues across Devon. For information contact Beaford Arts on 01805 603201.