The foot and mouth outbreak has been confirmed and if it is anything like the last time then it could have a significant impact on all of us who want to get out and about. Now, it may be that this time they will not "close" the countryside as they did last time as that might be a lesson which has got through but even so we need to keep a close eye on developments. Fingers crossed that they can control this.

I was shocked by the BBC 2200 news where they addressed the matter by going over live to the front of 10 Downing Street. How much more "urban" a reaction could we have seen? I think this highlights part of the problem these days where issues impacting upon the countryside are decided upon and presented to the public by a urban government and an urban media.

I hope that no one on here loses out on their sporting activities through this but we must remember to be responsible as well.

Hi Guys

Well you can still shoot the deer but cant move them off the farm in the UK as of today.

Quote off the DEFRA website

"Foot and Mouth Disease confirmed in cattle, in Surrey
Following an investigation of suspected vesicular disease by Animal Health on a holding near Guildford in Surrey, laboratory results have this evening indicated that the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus is present in samples from cattle on the premises.

On the basis of the initial laboratory results Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed Foot and Mouth Disease. In accordance with the legislation and contingency planning arrangements all the cattle on the premises will be culled. A Protection Zone of three kilometres radius and a Surveillance Zone of 10 kilometres has been placed around the premises, and a GB wide national movement ban of all ruminants and pigs has been imposed.

Nationally no animal movements are allowed except under licence, controls are in place on movement of animal carcasses, animal gatherings, shearing and dipping are restricted, and all farms must increase levels of biosecurity. In both the Protection and Surveillance Zones, there will be requirements for increased levels of biosecurity on farms, movement controls, controls on transportation of dung/manure and treatment of animal products to ensure destruction of the FMD virus.

The farm itself has been under restrictions since late on Thursday evening when symptoms were reported to the local Animal Health office. A 1km temporary restriction zone was placed around the premises earlier today whilst investigations and testing were completed, in line with domestic and EU legislation.

The European Commission has been informed.

Notes to editors
1. Advice from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is that foot and mouth disease is not a direct public health threat. The Food Standards Agency considers that foot and mouth disease has no implications for the human food chain.

2. FMD is a disease of cattle and very few human cases have ever been recorded even though the disease is endemic in animals in many parts of the world including Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Foot and mouth disease only crosses the species barrier from cattle to human with very great difficulty. The last human case reported in Britain occurred in 1966. The disease in humans, in the very rare cases that have occurred, is mild, short-lived and requires no medical treatment.

3. The movement of animals, animal products, feed and bedding in the zones will be prohibited, except under license. Products from animals in these zones will be subject to treatment to ensure destruction of the FMD virus. This is an animal health measure rather than a public health measure. Such treatments include the pasteurisation of milk (normal process for most milk produced in the UK), heat treatment or de-boning and maturation of meat in certain circumstances.

4. The exact details on the measures that apply in Protection and Surveillance Zones can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/about/index.htm

5. Export health certificates for animals and animal products will be withdrawn. Exports from GB of susceptible animals during the risk period will be identified and notified to the importing countries.

Mark

During the last out break there were lots of rumors about F&M being found in deer, but "hushed up by the Government"

Without being overly political, Blair's Government demonstrated a lack of integrity on such wide range of subjects, it was difficult to know when they were actually telling the truth.

I hope Brown handles this out break better, he certainly should after the learning exercise of last time...

So, as of yesterday, Deer stalking is effectively banned in the UK!!!

Feel sorry for the farming industry - but personally it will be a major blow. Just about to start shooting new grounds with large numbers of Red, Sika and Muntjac.

Mind you, todays news indicates that other suspected sites are proving negative, whilst the strain of FMD has shown to be the one used at a local research establishment at Pirbright.

Lets hope its sorted quickly!

Rgds Ian

It is a pain for those of us who depend upon access for our sport but if this is anything like last time them it will probably put people out of business.

A friend mailed me to say that she has lambs ready to go that she doesn't have enough grazing to keep, that she can't afford to feed and that she now can't move. She is at her wits end and with the recent floods the price of fodder has gone up anyhow. So, there are a lot of people a lot worse off than us and as you say let's hope it is sorted really soon.

Looks as if the incompetent muppets in Purbright have allowed the virus to escape.

The best hope is that it can be contained and suppressed in a relatively small area.

Heads need to roll.

During the last outbreak one of the conspiracy theories doing the rounds centered on the MOD's research lab at Porton Down.

It seems that in the weeks before the outbreak, a stock check or audit found a vile of the virus missing.

In another seemingly unconnected story, just before the official start of the that outbreak, MAFF were also doing some sort of "planning exercise" which by they were contacting scrap yards ect looking for supplies of wooden railway sleepers. Both stories appeared briefly in some of the better newpapers, but died a death pretty quickly.

I have to wonder if any one who was working at Porton Down, is now working at, or has access to the labs at Purbright...

CD,

May not be the muppets, their biosecurity is so stringent in there that I would think that there is also the possibility of some intentional breach.

I know a FMD researcher over there very well, so it will be interesting to find out what's what in a couple of days.

Either way someone will be for the highjump.

Rgds,
FB

...and so they should FB. Either that or tarred and feathered and then run through the fens with a sign on their ass saying 'open season'...

Its going some if the truth is that it came from a government research station.

Hope its sorted soon as I was in Cumbria last time and it was very far from being a pleasant experience.

Atb

z

I just spoke to my freind and he seems to think that so far they have the outbreak contained. Obviously that can't be 100% as yet, but he's quite confident having been on the ground doing the culling operation.

They are looking at a number of possible explanations that will come out in time, but what he did say is that much of the factual info written in the press about the virus and it's properties are not at all accurate.

Zaitsev, The centre isn't purely Governmental so there are some other possibilities too.

Either way not good but it looks li,ke if it hasn't go airbourne then we might not be facing the situation we did last time.

Rgds,
FB

I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but I do have a farming background. If this farm is 5 miles from the Purbright site, and there are no cases on any other farm in between, someone or something must have transfered the virus from the Lab's (whether Govt or private) to this herd.

Hopefully this can be contained in a localised area and eradicated in short order.

Just spoke to the powers that be!
This total ban on stalking is likely to last 4 weeks! No movement of carcasses period!
Even from field to field is construed as an offence!
They are working on the possibility of a license to continue stalking, but this may take sometime!!
The next question I asked was: has there ever been any confirmed cases of F&M in deer?
YES! but only in farmed deer, this I believe was due to the nature of the test. So read into that what you will!
It was also confirmed that anyone who broke the ban would be dealt with severely!!

Just another nail in the coffin!!

regards
griff

Lets not all get TOO glum and I don't think that conspiracy theories really help. In my area a lot of family mixed farms are now facing a "double whammy" of a really difficult harvest (that had promised so much as grain prices rose!) and FMD as their stock enterprises have been dealt this terrible blow. People have spent great amounts of time and energy, not to mention money, in diversifying their farm businesses but the last three months have been an unmitigated disaster, hitting all parts of the farm business. We have to support them by being as rigorous as we can possibly be in our biosecurity as we go on and off the land - if we do so at all - and in the future, even after this has ended, make sure that we check each and every carcase for disease of all kinds and record the ones that are clean just as much as those that have infections or other problems. Deer are not a great vector of disease but are often suggested as convenient scapegoats and it is up to all of us to make sure that we protect the growing venison and sporting markets. Good luck to all, I will, like many of you, be talking to some disappointed clients this evening!

Another farm showing signs of FMD in the immediate area - that dashes the hopes of an early cessation.

That is more bad news. However, as Brian has said it all seems a bit odd that this disease seems to have travelled from one place to another without passing though any of the places inbetween. Even with a 2nd farm showing signs of infection it doesn't quite add up for me. I'm not encouraging conspiracy, just guessing that there is some part of the story that we don't know about yet and it seems to be an important part. The other thing to avoid, of course, is believing anything we see in the media or getting caught up in their "feeding frenzy."