Foot and Mouth vaccination could cripple livestock farmers
Individual livestock farmers would be financially crippled if a Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination strategy were introduced in Wales - this is according to NFU Cymru in its response (released today at Monmouthshire County Show) to the proposed transposition of the Foot and Mouth Disease Council Directive into domestic legislation.
The new Directive requires that all EU Member States must have arrangements in place for the possible use of emergency vaccination once/if Foot and Mouth Disease is ever confirmed again. With the current situation with Avian Flu, it is right to have contingency plans in place for the worst case scenarios as diseases know no boundaries.
NFU Cymru has a number of concerns with the proposed vaccination strategy, namely:
* Meat from vaccinated animals, and animals in the protection and surveillance zones, cannot go into the food chain unless they are subjected to specified treatments, including heat treatment. They would also have to be deboned and matured. NFU Cymru has grave doubts as to whether there would be sufficient capacity in Wales to do this and it would clearly add to production costs at a time when the market price of vaccinated meat is likely to be heavily discounted.
* The Directive bans the export of vaccinated animals abroad for the whole of their lives even when the UK is certified Foot and Mouth free. In NFU Cymru's view this could create the perception amongst consumers that vaccinated meat can be sold onto the home market but the same meat may not be placed on export markets.
* The new Directive also bans the collection and transportation of milk for sampling for milk hygiene purposes in laboratories not authorised to test for Foot and Mouth Disease. This would give rise to practical problems for those companies located in Wales where there are currently no such laboratories.
Dai Davies, speaking at Monmouthshire Show said, "NFU Cymru is seriously concerned at the consequential losses that will be sustained by the livestock sectors in Wales in the event of the vaccination route being pursued. This profound concern is compounded by the fact that in the event of market resistance to vaccination and with movement controls in place then farmers will be unable to viably off-load excess stock. The potential for animal health and welfare problems then arises with no provision for a compensatory welfare disposal scheme."
He concluded, "NFU Cymru works on behalf of Wales' farmers and we would argue that individual farmers have no way of ensuring that import controls are such as to prevent the introduction of Foot and Mouth Disease. NFU Cymru feels that allowing individual farm businesses to bear the financial brunt of such disease incursion would be an abrogation of the Government's responsibilities."
