With a background in BBC radio and television Sarah has also worked as a government press officer and was seconded to MAFF during the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001. Her experience with FMD has been put to good use since the confirmation of Avian Influenza in Europe. She said:
"I started work the week that AI was confirmed in Turkey and Romania and have found some real similarities in dealing with the media. With a situation that involves food safety and public health it is extremely important to pin down the messages early on and make sure that everyone is sticking to them. A lot of the media hype has been around the pandemic killing thousands when in fact this has not yet become a human to human strain of the disease.
"Dealing with intense media interest in Avian Influenza after only three days in the job has been a challenge - but the press officers that were in post have been enormously helpful and made it a manageable process."
Sarah was brought up in a rural part of Lincolnshire and has always maintained an interest in farming issues:
"There are so many challenges for rural communities that I know I am going to find the role of media manager very worthwhile."
