Foot and Mouth Disease: Reactions
Douglas Chalmers, Director CLA North, comments on the recent announcement by DEFRA that Foot and Mouth Disease has been confirmed on a farm in Surrey
"With Foot and Mouth Disease confirmed, and the ban on animal movements quickly applied, the farming industry and rural areas in general are literally holding their breath to see if this foul disease has already managed to spread. "Much was made by Government of the "lessons learnt" last time. The quick restriction on the movement of livestock is evidence of this. What we need are clear messages on what everyone should now do, or not do. Farmers, vets, supply companies, police, media and anyone else likely to be involved, and who can help to bring this outbreak to a rapid close, should be told of any contingency plans, and what their role is."
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Commenting on the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Surrey, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Chris Huhne MP said:
"The ban on cattle and pig movements is welcome, but it is better to be safe than sorry and it should cover all animal movements not just in England but UK-wide. We need confirmation that the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales are acting too.
"Foot and mouth devastated the rural economy when it broke out in 2001 and we must take every possible action to avoid a recurrence, including if necessary Dutch-style vaccination in the surrounding herds. This has to be undertaken urgently.
"The Government is right to put Cobra into action, and it is good that Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn seem to understand the seriousness of the threat.
"There will be a chill sent down the spines of every livestock farmer in the country at the news, and there will be real fears in many other rural businesses like hotels, pubs and bed and breakfasts just as the peak holiday season is getting under way."
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DEBBY REYNOLDS, CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER
"One of my main messages, other than people should look at their animals for clinical signs of any illness and not move anything..., is that our response to this disease is in animal health terms, it's in farming terms.
The countryside itself stays open for business."
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PETER KENDALL, NATIONAL FARMERS UNION PRESIDENT
Mr Kendall said his immediate reaction was of "enormous concern and obviously vivid memories of 2001".
"What we want to do is be involved in working with Defra to put movement restrictions in place as soon as possible - I understand that will be with immediate effect - and we want to be as supportive as possible.
This would be devastating if it turns out be a major outbreak."
HUGH PENNINGTON, LEADING MICROBIOLOGIST
"Speed is of the essence here. We have got to really stop this virus spreading - obviously first of all to stamp it out in the locality where it has been identified and then see whether the virus has got anywhere else.
"This was what happened in 2001 - the animals had been moving about the country incubating the disease and before we knew where we were there were virus outbreaks from Cumbria to Devon.
"This is something that has to be avoided at all costs, because once it gets as well established as that, it is really very, very difficult to stamp out as we found out to our cost in 2001."
PETER AINSWORTH, SHADOW ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY
Mr Ainsworth said it was important that the handling of the disease was better than it had been in 2001.
"There are very important lessons to be learned from the last outbreak.
"Big mistakes were made - in particular a slow reaction in the beginning which enabled the disease to escape and kind of get everywhere.
"If it has been contained, that will be very good news. But obviously it's very early days and we just wait to see."
ANDREW BIGGS, BRITISH CATTLE VETERINARY ASSOCIATION
"This disease is probably one of the most infectious known.
"Really, it's almost one virus plus one susceptible animal equals disease and it will spread very rapidly through the country in terms of the fact that all animals in this country will be susceptible.
"Therefore we need to take it very seriously because of the devastating nature it can have on the industry."
MARK, LINCOLNSHIRE FARMER
"It's going to be heart-breaking for anyone to see that we've had floods over in Worcestershire and up in north Lincolnshire and crops being devastated and there's no compensation.
"There's no way of pulling people out. It's just grind on and get your head above water for next year but with foot-and-mouth coming in as well - the livestock guys have had as bad as we've had with the weather - and for them to get this, well, it will knock exports out straight away."
