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Papers blame intensive farming

- 25 February 2001
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25 February 2001



Papers blame intensive farming


By Fwi staff

INTENSIVE farming practices and the loss of small abattoirs are key factors behind the foot-and-mouth outbreak, claim Sunday newspapers.

The Observer says bluntly that the seeds of the foot-and-mouth crisis have been sown by farmers.

The crisis exposes “the appalling conditions of animals on some farms” and “frighteningly lax” inspections on farms and the meat trade and long distance transport of food, it claims.

It reports calls for more local abattoirs and predicts that this latest crisis will add to calls for more naturally produced foods.

The Independent on Sunday says it has been told by the Ministry of Agriculture that there was “no doubt” that illegal meat imports had caused the outbreak.

Causes being investigated include sausages brought into the country by a traveller or food discarded from a ships galley which found its way into pigswill.

In its editorial the newspaper blames a society which demands large quantities of cheap meat for creating conditions for the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

It reports that while ministry official noted “sheer squalor” on the Northumberland farm where the outbreak is believed to have occurred “this did not get in the way of producing meat”.

But The Sunday Telegraph editorial condemns “the vilification” of Robert Waugh whose Heddon-on-the-Wall pig farm at is the suspected source.

It says this has yet to have been established and argues that farmyard noise and dirt should not be confused with conditions which incubate and spread animal disease.

The newspaper accuses the media of seeking a culprit rather than the cause and showing a metropolitan distaste for farming realities.

However, it claims that under intensive farming practices “most livestock exists in a permanent state of low-level sickness”.

In the same newspaper Christopher Booker says it is rich of Tory farming spokesman Tim Yeo to lay blame for the disease spreading on the long distances animals must travel to slaughter.

He says the Conservatives “set up the ludicrous system” to comply with EU regulations which has seen the closure of 800 abattoirs in the past 10 years

Farmers Weekly “Farmer Focus” farmer and former Scottish rugby international John Jeffrey considers the foot-and-mouth crisis in Scotland on Sunday.

With the probable source only 50miles from his Borders farm at Kersnowe, Mr Jeffreys doubts that Scotland will escape its effects.

In an editorial Scotland on Sunday urges the Scottish Executive not to be tempted to lift the livestock movements ban before the rest of the UK.

Such a move would be “the worst kind of misguided naivete”, says the newspaper.

The Executive has since insisted that there are no plans to lift restrictions before Friday.

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