Foot & Mouth

[Moli]

Has been discovered on a farm near Gilford, Surrrey:(

[Luke]

I've just heard. Its a nightmare.
How long will it take for the farmers to be ruined this time? How long will it be before the mass precautionary slaughters start?
On a more graver note, as happened to a family friend of ours, how long will it take before the farmers take a loaded shotgun to themselves as happened in many cases last time.
Its lively hoods destroyed, farms that have been built up for generations ruined, peoples lives just torn apart.
I wonder if it will be handled in such a shambles was as previously.

[Moli]

According tot he news report, they learned a lot of lessons from last time...Be interesting to see just gow they handle this one.

[Fran]

:( :( :( Not the news I was hoping to hear :( I pray they contain this and that the farmers do not suffer the devastation of the last outbreak :(

[Erin]

Oh no npt again :( my best friends live on a farm and they lost alot last time so they moved to an Estate just above the borders in Scotland and are farming there now,really hope it doesnt spread like last time :(

[Emm]

this is so sad.
the last time was awful - even where I live was cornered off and we couldn't walk the dogs in the field outside my house and in the woods.

[dinahsmum]

I fely physically sick when this news came through last night. :(
Lets all hope it is an isolated and swiftly resolved outbreak .... it was so terrible last time.
Pray for sunshine everyone - it helps inhibit the virus.

[kado]

I have just seen the pictures of the last time we got it here and thought not again. I feel for all the farmers that will be worrying about it my thoughts are will them all. I just hope its a very issolated incident.

jane

[Jac]

Lets hope they can isolate it. It's a horrible, terrible disease.

[yola]

I know very little about cattle farming, but my understanding is that much of Europe/US vaccinates against foot and mouth . . . so why does the UK kill 1000s of cattle rather than vaccinating?

It bothered me the last time round, and I'm sure the argument is more complex, both medically and logistically but surely that's the most sensible solution???

[Kim]

I know very little about farming either, I do feel desperately sorry for the farmers. Many have lost so much in the recent flooding. I just hope and pray this can be contained.

[Emm]

I know very little about cattle farming, but my understanding is that much of Europe/US vaccinates against foot and mouth . . . so why does the UK kill 1000s of cattle rather than vaccinating?

It bothered me the last time round, and I'm sure the argument is more complex, both medically and logistically but surely that's the most sensible solution???


yes it is the most sensible solution! I was devasted watching all those poor animals being slaughtered when all they had to do was vaccinate - they must have been terrified - and people also had to have pets slaughtered as well.

But they have said they will be vaccinating this time round - they won't make the same mistakes as last time.

[Emm]

just did a quick search about it and this is probably the reason for not vaccinating - again comes down to money -

"Currently, the OIE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OIE) recognizes countries to be in one of three disease states with regards to FMD - FMD present with or without vaccination, FMD free with vaccination, and FMD free without vaccination. Countries that are designated FMD free without vaccination have the greatest access to export markets, so many developed nations, including Canada, the United States, and the UK, work hard to maintain their current FMD free without vaccination status."

taken from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_and_mouth

[yola]

Thanks for that info Emm. I had a horrible feeling that it was down to money. That's truly disgusting . . . too many animals and people have to suffer for it to be purely fiscal :(