MAFF broke its own mad-cow rules

1 June 2001



MAFF ‘broke its own mad-cow rules’

By FWi staff

THE Ministry of Agriculture flouted its own guidelines in allowing cattle at risk from BSE to be buried as part of the foot-and-mouth cull, it is claimed.

MAFF permitted the burial of animals aged over 30 months – which are most at risk from the disease – for five weeks, although its guidelines favour incineration.

Geoff Bateman, a senior official from the Environment Agency, said on Thursday (31 May) that he was surprised that MAFF allowed this to happen.

He said it was presumed at the beginning of the outbreak that older animals would not be buried, reports The Guardian.

Mr Bateman said his staff were trying to identify the sites to make sure that they could not contaminate water supplies, reports The Times.

Mr Bateman was speaking at the introduction of a year-long programme to monitor the public health impact of foot-and-mouth.

Last week, government scientists estimated that 40 BSE-infected could be among the 10,000 animals aged over 30 months buried up until March.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph reports that the worst risk to human health comes not from buried carcasses but those left in the sun.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Pat Troop said the principal threat to public health was from bacteria carried by flies or carrion during the summer.

Eleven more cases of the disease were reported on Thursday (31 May) including four near the Settle hotspot in North Yorkshire.

MAFF announced that temporary licences allowing farmers in North Yorkshire farmers to move stock were being revoked.

All licences already issued under the Longer Distance Movement Scheme and the Local Movement Scheme have been withdrawn with immediate effect.

Licences to move animals to common grazing will also be withdrawn, says MAFF.

The no-movement area has been extended to the M6 motorway in the west, the M65 to the South, and to Bolton Abbey in the east.

Licences to move animals directly to slaughter and under the livestock welfare disposal scheme will continue to be made available.

Occupational licences, which allow, for example, repeated movements of animals across a road within a single farm premises, will remain valid, says MAFF.

The Telegraph tells how stockman Andrew Keighley, 35, from Otley, West Yorkshire, who was found hanged, feared he had spread the virus.

Mr Keighleys father Willie, said his son, who was laid off from a mart due to foot-and-mouth, became increasingly worried about the virus.

He added: “I want everyone to be aware of how this disease affects people so that nobody has to suffer the same tragedy as we have.”

• MAFF foot-and-mouth information
  
• The Guardian, 01 June, 2001, page 4
  
• The Times, 01 June, 2001, page 2
  
• The Daily Telegraph, 01 June, 2001, page 14
  

Farm e-Business Survey. Click here to enter and win 100 Amazon vouchers