Experts to slam DEFRA over virus

2 July 2001



Experts to slam DEFRA over virus

By FWi staff

PROMPT action by the Government could have halved the number of foot-and-mouth cases, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Calculations by Dr Neil Ferguson of Imperial College, to be made public on Tuesday (03 July) in the Channel 4 Dispatches programme, suggest that the crisis was mishandled.

Dr Ferguson claims that if slaughter had begun within 24 hours of diagnosis at the start of the crisis in February the figures would have dropped in half.

It took the work of four studies in March to show that the epidemic was out of control, reports the newspaper.

Sir John Krebs, head of the Food Standards Agency, says the meeting in which these were findings revealed marked a turning point in the crisis.

A dismissive reaction by Chief Veterinary Officer Jim Scudamores prompted Prof Roy Anderson of Imperial College to say the disease was out of control.

Chief Scientific Adviser Prof David King wrote to the Prime Minister and Mr Scudamore and Agriculture Minister Nick Brown were subsequently sidelined.

Meanwhile, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has admitted that there have been 50 extra cases of the virus the past month.

These are on top of the official total of infected premises and are based on the number of dangerous contact culls, about a quarter, which have proved positive.

The Daily Telegraph estimates that this trend was typical it could bring the UK total up to 3250, exceeding the 1967 figure of 2364.

The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to the Daily Mail Farm Aid appeal which has raised 5.15 million for farmers affected by the crisis.

The Prince said that he was “touched and delighted by the generosity of Daily Mail readers at a time of suffering for so many rural communities”.

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Scottish Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution will receive 2,265,000.

The ARC Addington Fund is given 2,012,500, while the rest is split among the Rural Stress Information Network, the Farm Crisis Network and the Samaritans.

In another development, 90,000 farmers are to be sent videos on how to halt the spread of the disease, at a cost of 750,000.

Four cases of foot-and-mouth were confirmed on Saturday (30 June) including outbreaks in Powys, Cumbria and two in North Yorkshire.

The UK total now stands at 1803 cases.

• The Daily Telegraph, 02 July, 2001, page 8
  
• Daily Mail, 02 July, 2001, page 8 and 9