Import that wrought havoc
Import that wrought havoc
By Alistair Driver
and Johann Tasker
THE foot-and-mouth disease virus wreaking havoc across the country almost certainly entered Britain from outside Europe.
Britain has been free from the disease since its last foot-and-mouth outbreak in 1981. But 60 countries have had outbreaks over the past two years, many caused by the same highly virulent Pan-Asiatic O-type strain which is now devastating so many British farms. The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.
This week, theories about how the virus might have got into the British food chain ranged from the smuggling of exotic meats to acts of biological warfare by environmental extremists intent on shutting down Britains livestock industry. A more likely scenario is that a consignment of meat from an infected country was imported into Britain.
Once into the country, the infected meat came into contact with an animal connected with Ronnie and Bobby Waughs pig fattening unit at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland – the farm though to be the source of the British outbreak.
The Waugh farm is just one of 140 British holdings licensed to use pig swill. Bobby Waugh said they used to take swill from waste school dinners and had done so for 10 years. There is also speculation that the Waughs may have bought a pig from a domestic pig keeper who fed untreated scraps.
MAFF vets say the disease could have been on Heddon farm for up to one month before it was discovered. In the meantime, infected pigs were transported to the Cheale Meats abattoir at Little Warley, Essex, where the first suspected case was unearthed on 20 February. By that time, it had unknowingly spread rapidly across the country.
Efforts to stop the disease spreading came too late. FARMERS WEEKLY revealed on its FWi website earlier this week that sheep from a farm only four miles away from Heddon started a journey to Devon as early as 13 Feb – 10 days before the government banned livestock movements across the whole of the country (see below).
The sheep were purchased from Hexham market, kept in lairage for two days in close quarters with other livestock before being moved on to Longtown, Carlisle, on 15 Feb. Longtown market is one of Europes biggest centres for selling sheep and serves farmers in Scotland as well as the north of England.
Devon farmer and livestock dealer Willy Cleave knew Longtown well. He had bought thousands of sheep from the market over the years and did so again on 15 Feb. The animals were taken 400-miles south to his farm at Highampton. In the ten days before that farm too was diagnosed with foot-and-mouth, thousands more animals could have been unknowingly infected.
There are 600 cattle and 1500 sheep on the farm run by Mr Cleave who has a total of 13 premises, 11 of which are in Devon and two of which are in Cornwall. Thousands of his sheep have been exported to the Continent and experts are investigating suspected cases of the disease in Germany and France.
The situation is made more serious because it is more difficult to spot foot-and-mouth in sheep than in cattle or pigs. Infected sheep may show acute lameness and may walk with a stiff-legged gate. Lesions may appear but all symptoms may disappear after a few days. However, the animals may still retain the disease. Thousands of movement records are still being checked.
Confirmation of foot-and-mouth at haulage businesses such as Monkhouse Haulage, County Durham, have raised new questions about how far the disease may have been transmitted. Local farmers said the company usually transported stock on Fridays between Hexham market, Northumberland; Darlington market, Durham; and Yorkshire.
Six new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth, including one linked to Darlington and one at Welsh abattoir in an animal linked to Yorkshire, were confirmed on Tuesday (27 February). More outbreaks in counties previously free from the disease rapidly followed, on farms as far apart as Powys and Leicestershire.
Professor Mac Johnston, of the Royal Veterinary College, said it could be a month from the discovery of the last foot-and-mouth case for the epidemic to be over. Unfortunately, such a date could be a long time off. "The absolute minimum is 14 days, but you should double that to 28 days and even after that think about it again. There could be reservoirs of disease out there."
• Additional reporting by Sarah Walton.
Feb 20: The government announces that MAFF vets are testing pigs found to have symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease at Cheale Meats abattoir, Little Warley, Essex (#1).
Feb 23: A pig unit at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland (#2), which sent pigs to Cheale Meats, could be the source of the outbreak, says MAFF. A farm four miles from the Heddon pig unit is also confirmed with the disease. Ian Williamson of Prestwick Hall Farm, Ponteland, had unknowingly sold infected sheep at Hexham market (#3) two weeks previously. The animals were kept in close contact with other livestock before being taken to Longtown market, Carlisle (#4), on 15 Feb.
Feb 25: Foot-and-mouth is discovered at Burdon Farm, Highampton, Devon (#6). Farmer Willy Cleave confirms that he purchased sheep from Longtown market on 15 Feb. Mr Cleave has exported thousands of sheep abroad and has links with abattoirs, livestock markets and other farms the length and breadth of Britain.
Feb 26: Disease is confirmed at another three sites. Fears increase that it has spread throughout the country and on to the Continent. France and Germany prepare to slaughter thousands of imported livestock.
Feb 27: Cases are confirmed in four more counties, including a sheep at an Anglesey abattoir with links to Yorkshire. The government puts in place statutory powers allowing local authorities to close all footpaths and rights of way.
Feb 28: The wider economic effects of foot-and-mouth threaten to dwarf the BSE crisis. The number of farms under restriction passes 100 as the number of cases reaches 22. Sports fixtures are cancelled, rural tourism is hit and vast tracts of the countryside are shut down. The expected May general election may have to be postponed.
• For the latest news on foot-and-mouth, visit our web-site at www.fwi.co.uk. If you do not have access to the internet, or are paying for your internet access, then we can offer it free.
• Join the thousands of farmers accessing the internet with farmersweekly.net by phoning 0870 601 2307* or by visiting www.farmersweekly.net. *Mac users phone 020 7670 1168.