Back to haunt us!

[maziemoo]

We've had a new outbreak of foot and mouth confirmed in the UK today !

Reasons cited are intensive farming techniques!

Has Symi ever had similar problems relating to livestock...not necessarily foot and mouth? ....just interested.

[Ozzie Geoff]

Symi has a lot of "Foot in Mouth" problems, Maziemoo.
just ask your new best friend, Kojak!!

[bill]

sorry Maz, not quite true. The outbreak is being linked to the Veterinary Research Establishment at Pirbright.
Farming techniques are improving and becoming more sensitive to the environment. Look at the wildlife that has returned to some areas of Britain.
Perhaps the number of ramblers should be controlled, therefore minimising the environmental polution/virus's in the countryside?

[benedetti]

Maybe its the research at Pirbright that ought to be moved to a lot more than 3 miles from any dairy or beef farm. The answer could be we become vegetarian ramblers, or perhaps farming should tighten up their act. Some of the conditions creatures are reared in are disgraceful. Remember Bernard Mathews, one mega rich farmer who asked for compensation?
Mind you I have seen some sorry looking wee chooks up near the windmills on Symi.

[Kojak]

Looks as if the Govt. has put both feet in it's own mouth - a countrywide ban on livestock movement, exclusion zone etc. and the strain appears to be from their own research station which was conveniently placed in the middle of farming land. Wouldn't you just think that someone, somewhere would have realised that a laboratory handling foot and mouth virus' was a bit of a risk in the countryside?

[Richard]

A bit difficult finding a site more than 3 miles from any dairy or beef in this country. Centre of London might be a good idea, away from any zoo, of course. I'm sure nobody would complain if such a laboratory were to be placed in the middle of a residential area.

[bill]

one of the answers is to control the supermarkets instead of them controlling the government and politicians. Create a proper fair trade organisation here in Britain. S/Markets say they can't make it work here, but can in Africa? It will cut into the S/markets profits thats why.
S/Markets also tried to source more milk in this country and found there no one to supply them, why I wonder?
Mr Matthews stopped being a farmer when he imported his stock and created mechanical plastic food.
Farming communities have one of the highest suicide rates of any occupation, and if you saw the documentary on the slaughters you will know why. Also, the fisher men being sold down the river by this caring government. Whole communities torn apart, generations of fishing folk gone...
You will always get bad apples in any profession, but it takes dedication to go get up in all weathers and work those hours in some awful weather conditions.
Bad conditions and intensive farming methods are symptoms of the overall problem, sort out the supermarket giants.

[Kon]

Typical government beaurecrats .they may as well put a biochemical lab in the middle of London city.

[Richard]

I'm still recovering from Bill's fishermen being sold down the river.
Yes, I have spent many happy hours milking at 05:00 on a January morning. Not a lot of fun.

[bill]

Richard, is scuppered a better description, or don't you agree with the statement?
5am, why so late?

[Richard]

I was wondering which river. There is a wonderful fisherman's shop at the mouth of the River Otter in Sidmouth, Devon. I think they only sell their catch.
Friesians and shorthorns object if they get woken up before 5. So do I. The difficult bit, of course, is when the clocks go forward. The poor old cows don't understand BST. We used to go forward half an hour for 2 weeks to cheer them up a bit. Henry the Hereford bull didn't care a damn what time it was.
This may be on the wrong page but I don't like being woken up before 5 on Symi either

[bill]

Why were you trying to milk a bull?

[Richard]

Dammit. I knew I was doing something wrong.

[MacDuff]

I am reluctant to get involved in this discussion because of my involvement in the food and agricultural industries in both Canada and the UK. Suffice it to say that in 1976 I was the lead speaker at a conference in Northern England. I entitled my paper: "Does Britain want it's farmers?" I analysed the different sectors for the previous ten years and forecast based on that analysis for the next ten years. My conclusion then, was that "British agriculture will go downhill both literally and metaphorically." Two years later I spoke at the closing dinner of UKASTA (United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trades Association. - it comprises the feedstuff, fertilizer, chemical industries. They poor devils had been subjected to a preceeding speech by one Silkin, Minister of Agriculture in the Labour Government. He had the gall to criticize profit - although requiring taxes from the same to support that governments profligate habits. My response - which to my pleasure brought a standing ovation - was to say: "As a livestock breeder, I recognize that the man who can make two pennies breed, renders a service to the whole of society." Regarding the shortage of milk, the two farming businesses which I managed in England each had dairy herds. One had 220 cows, the other 450 in milk. Each lay in the top 10% national band of production per cow. The 450 cow business shut down production in 2004 and the 220 cow one sold up in 2006. Regarding the rural environment, During my 25 years managing substantial UK estates, we bore the cost of maintaining hedgerows, footpaths tree planting and pruning, woods and copses. In Kent for example we trimmed 65 miles of hedge row twice a year and we maintaine 57 miles of public footpaths including providing stiles and wicket gates. I still have contact with some of the most efficient farms in the UK. One friend is Scotland's largest manufacturer of ice cream - with over 500 Jersey cows and produced on farm. Another has grown to farming 56,000 acres in four countries. These are some of the best farmers in the world. I have the privilege of being a member of a scholars organization that spreads from Europe to the Antipodes and to the new world. When we emigrated in 1981, many of my farming friends thought I had lost my marbles. Today, none question the decision. The UK had it good, the farmers at large served the country well. They have been used as whipping boys by politicians, the public and the media. As ye sow!!! Sorry folks, but the public provided the supermarkets with their power. The public shop at Walmart. When Walmart bought ASDA, it was 6th in size on the UK supermarket table, today it is second only to TESCO. Who put it there? So endeth the lesson (Sermon?)

[Jerry]

Very interesting points of view are emerging as this potential diaster unfolds. How many additional busineses will be involved, Farmers, Slughter houses, Transport, butchers, Tourism, the list goes on. With the previous outbreak as a guide I suspect many will suffer and the politicians will blame everyone else accepting no responsibility. Vanessa being the daughter of a farmer spending over 30 years working on the farm. Living in a village with 4 farms as well as pig fattening units and with several caravan sites in the area, we are only too aware of the cosequences from the last outbreak. We can only hope this time it is contained quickly and the pain and distress to the animals is minimal.

[maziemoo]

Sorry Bill, when I posted the statement "reason cited as intensive farming techniques", it was not my own personal opinion, merely one that was bandied about when the story was first breaking, of course as times goes on and the story unfolds no doubt we may stand a chance of getting to the nub of things. With yet another outbreak close to Pirbright it's looking suspiciously like it could be the culprit..we'll have to wait and see.

I come from a family of farmers many of whom are farming in Lincolnshire and I find this whole business quite worrying even though I am no longer involved personally.

This has been a terrible year for our farmers right across the board because lets not forget the impact the flooding will have had up and down the country.

It makes me sick to the back teeth when I see what large supermarket chains charge for produce when I know what I could purchase it for directly from the farmer. They will of course argue they have overheads to cover but I can't help feeling those are covered at the expense of the farmers whose livelihood has become more and more precarious over the years. Truth of the matter is that the supermarket chains are greedy plain and simple!

[bill]

Hi Mazie,
it's journalists cribbing any old tat story, punchlines etc... It's annoying that these hacks can write such cheap rubbish.
It looks as though they are catching the outbreak, but if it has been the floods, then where else will it end up?
So many people commute, it could be difficult to manage without huge headaches.
My old stamping ground of Staffordshire was decimated by the last outbreak, and so all fingers crossed.

[David]

As an aside. I'd love to know who the genius was that decided after killing the cattle in Surrey they would then move them nearly 100 miles to be incinerated in Somerset?! PS I live the opposite side of Pirbright from Guildford.

[Kojak]

Probably the same idiot who decided that the safest place to produce live Foot and Mouth virus was slap bang in the middle of farming country!

[MacDuff]

Kojak, the obvious location for the Pirbright Foot in Mouth facility was in the lobby of the House of Commons