Foot-and-mouth hits north-east again
23 February 2001
Foot-and-mouth hits north-east again
By Alistair Driver
A SIXTH outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed as hopes rapidly diminish that the outbreak will be confined to a handful of farms.
Chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore says the outbreak, which has affected cattle, is in Ponteland, Northumberland.
Farm Minister Nick Brown confirmed this outbreak when he announced a ban on all movement of sheep, cattle, pigs and goats within Great Britain until 2 March.
The farm is only four miles away from the Heddon-on-the-Wall farm suspected of being the origin of the whole outbreak.
It has emerged that Ronnie Waugh, at Burnside Farm, has had regular contact with hundreds of pig farmers across the country.
MAFF vets have indicated that his unit could be the origin of the disease of the UK.
Health chiefs believe the disease could have been on the farm for 14 days, MAFF chief vet Jim Scudamore told reporters.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Mr Waugh is currently in hospital suffering from stress.
It is understood he was admitted to hospital prior to the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease on his farm.
Mr Waugh bought cull sows from pig farmers from all over the UK, before sending all or some of them to Cheales abattoir in Essex, where the disease was first detected on Tuesday (20 February).
John Ryder, who farms pigs 50 miles away in Teeside, said he has supplied Mr Waugh with pigs at Stokesley Auction Mart.
“It is said when Mr Waugh is not at the market, the cull sow price drops by 20%. He buys sows from a lot of farmers all over the country,” he said.
Given the length of time the virus appears to have been on his farm, it is feared it may have been spread by people and vehicles to other farms.
A neighbour of Mr Waugh has spoken of her devastation at the news that her animals will now have to slaughtered.
Joan Brown farms at Heddon View, Heddon-on-the-Wall, just a “stones throw away” from Mr Waugh.
She said the animals on her smallholding are not affected, but are likely to be destroyed. Understandably emotional she said: “I am most sad about the cattle.”
She also expressed concern about the financial implications of the movement restrictions that are now likely to restrict them for a number of weeks.
“We have been in business for 40 years,” she said
Both farms supplied pigs to Cheale Meats, the abattoir where the disease was detected on Tuesday night.