Touch-and-go on foot-and-mouth
24 February 2001
Touch-and-go on foot-and-mouth
by Johann Tasker and Isabel Davies
BRITAIN is waiting to see whether an emergency ban on all livestock movements manages to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
A ban by the Ministry of Agriculture on the movement of all pigs, cattle, sheep and goats will remain in force at least until 1700hrs on Friday 2 March.
Livestock markets and auctions have been shut and country pursuits involving animals, such as fox-hunting and hare coursing have been postponed.
Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said: “I would like to appeal to the public – particularly in the infected areas – to minimise the risks of spread
“For the public this involves reducing contact with livestock and farms; for farmers it means operating the highest standards of hygiene.”
Fingers are crossed that the drastic measure will help stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease found at six sites in Essex and north-east England
Farmers are hoping the disease can be isolated in a similar way as it was during Britains last foot-and-mouth outbreak on the Isle of Wight in 1981.
In that instance only 200 cattle and 369 pigs had to be slaughtered.
It came as a huge relief to producers who had feared they would see a repeat of the devastation they experienced when the disease last took hold in 1967.
Then it took five months and the destruction and disposal of over 440,000 animals before the disease was brought back under control.
It cost Britain an estimated 150 million in slaughter costs and lost sales plus an extra 27 million in compensation a total equivalent to about 1.6bn today.
In 1967, the disease was first identified on a farm in Oswestry, Shropshire.
However, unlike 1981 it spread quickly and 2,364 outbreaks were confirmed by the time the disease was stamped out months later.
Farmers affected 30 years ago have not forgotten the horror of destroying herds of sheep and cattle in which they had invested so much time and money.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) ordered the slaughter of all infected animals on farms. Carcasses were then burned on site and the remains buried.
Robert Davies, Farmers Weekly Wales correspondent, recalls driving to Oswestry for a daily briefing with MAFF to find out the latest developments.
“There were clouds of choking, black smoke billowing from the burning carcasses as you drove around the countryside,” he said.
Producers who were not affected devoted their time and effort to minimising the risk of the disease spreading to their farms.
No-one was too sure at the time how the disease was spread and spread straw soaked in disinfectant at busy road junctions and county boundaries.
It was a sensible precaution – over 30 years later MAFF has warned that the virus may spread by passing vehicles such as delivery lorries and milk tankers.