[6] He was ordered to find appropriate suppliers of the chemicals needed for production of both the anthrax and the cakes themselves, along with the specialized containers to carry them to prevent contamination during transport.
[7][1] The location was chosen because of its small size, only 520 total acres,[8] and its lack of inhabitants, along with there being a nearby military base at Loch Ewe that served as a staging area.
This test proved more effective than expected, with all the sheep dying in days, but also infecting a number of farm animals on the mainland months afterward.
[10] Operation Vegetarian was ready for deployment by spring of 1944 and plans were drafted for the cakes to be dropped in the summer when German cattle would be grazing openly in the fields.
In order to entice the cattle into eating the linseed cakes, they needed to be dropped after the spring grass had been consumed and the amount of food left was limited.
But by the time the summer arrived, the Normandy Invasion had occurred and Allied troops were advancing across northern Europe, causing Operation Vegetarian to be abandoned.