Does foot & mouth worry you?

[AB Asks]

Foot & mouth has returned and news reports are using words like 'serious' and 'potential disaster'. But how worried are you about the return of foot and mouth? Is it something we should be worried about?

[Gromit]

It might if I was a Cow, but as I'm not, no it doesn't.

[OBonio]

Not forgetting it's a 'definite possibility'. The media love this whipping up of hysteria. I'm yet to figure out why. Maybe the government has more control over the media than I think it has.

I'm more worried about the way 'journalism' is going than a potential likelihood.

[crossroads]

I'm not worried so long as it doesn't affect me and so long as all the cows in existance that are at risk are saved.

[China Doll]

It's happening just around the corner from me. So far I'm not too worried, mainly cause I'm not a cow but also cause they seem to have it in hand.

I am very sorry for the farmers and cows effected though.

[Illyria54]

We know the farmer whose cattle were first infected, we live just 1 mile away from his farm, yes We are very worried about it, it is a dreadful disease, a herd of animals, be they cattle/sheep/goats or pigs can appear absolutely fine when you check them in the morning then just one hour later that can all change, it is an extremely virulent virus, that is wind borne spread as well as direct contact, it will have a devastatingly knock on effect that will cost the country a lot of money if it spreads further, take your animal parks frequented by tourists, if these had to be closed (and it could happen) (elephants can also contract the disease) alot of money lost because of it, meat will be in short supply and the cost will increase milk will run short, butchers shops may have to close, some farmers may give up farming and so it could go on, this is worst case though, so yes I think it is something to worry about.

[Goodsoulette]

It worries me but then my family are effected. My poor mum hasnt been able to have anything come on and off the farm for three months as it is, due to a reactor for TB on 2 cows which turned out to not have TB after post mortem so this is tragic news for them as ALL farms no matter of location to this outbreak arent allowed anything on or off the farm.

To be honest we should be worried. My stepdad after a life time of farming cattle for beef and dairy is thinking of giving it up all together for breeding horses instead, as they do this as a sideline. I dont think the British farming industry can take much more, we will be eating more and more imported meat and the stuff that we know conforms to our farm assured standards and raised here will become more and more expensive.

[Illyria54]

I really sympathise with your parents Goodsoulette The farm we live on used to be pigs and cattle, however it was decided a few years back that with the new EU regulations that we couldn't afford to go on, so the farm is now down to livery, and a few other places in the area did the same thing, I don't think some people appreciate all the hardships that farmers face, we are now counting our blessing that we don't still have the farm as it was though, our hearts go out to the 3 farming families who have lost their herds quite literally overnight!

[janetsflower]

Yes as Goodsoulette and Illyria have said, it could effect supply and cost of meat and milk etc. Also farmers have already had a bad time this year with crops failing due to the awful weather - theres not as much hay and sileage about to feed these animals so that will be more expensive which will obviosuly effect meat prices in turn and even the fruit and veg farmed for human consumption has been affected. As well as this if there is mass culling of stock then farmers receive compensation from the government - of course dear sweet gordon brown will find his way of passing this on to us the tax payer so whilst you might think it doesn't affect you somewhere along the line it probably will. There is also the effect it has on access to the countryside, tourism etc and many more businesses than meat and farming end up being effected

[jno]

you can hardly expect dear sweet Gordon Brown to pay for it out of his own pocket, can you?

[Reverandfunk]

No.

Just like mad cow disease (which was going to kill thousands), welsh lamb after chernobyl etc etc.

Scaremongering I'm afraid.

[Goodsoulette]

and you are a farmer experiencing this are you Reverand?

In my experience farmers are pretty hardy people, if they thought it was scaremongering then they wouldnt be worried but they are.
.

[Reverandfunk]

No Soulette I'm not a farmer but using the cases I highlighted I'm not worried about foot and mouth.

[Oneeyedvic]

Articles like this (from 2001 outbreak) make people have little sympathy for farmers:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604 ,529482,00.html

Foot and mouth could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds more than it should, because farmers and valuers have colluded to bring about a sharp rise in livestock prices during the five month crisis - when common sense dictates they should have fallen.

Ministers believe the government has been ripped off because only one in 10 farmers in affected areas has used a "standard rate" valuation designed to hasten culling and provide swift compensation; nine out of 10 have used independent valuers who have negotiated much higher packages.

Prices rigged to inflate farmers' foot and mouth compensation


Special report: foot and mouth disease

Peter Hetherington, regional affairs editor
Monday July 30, 2001
The Guardian

Foot and mouth could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds more than it should, because farmers and valuers have colluded to bring about a sharp rise in livestock prices during the five month crisis - when common sense dictates they should have fallen.

Ministers believe the government has been ripped off because only one in 10 farmers in affected areas has used a "standard rate" valuation designed to hasten culling and provide swift compensation; nine out of 10 have used independent valuers who have negotiated much higher packages.

Article continues
A senior government source estimated last night that the price of animals had often risen by 30% since the crisis. Many cattle fetching �600 in late January when a livestock market still existed, are given a paper value of �900 when trade has all but ceased.

This over-valu

[Goodsoulette]

and do you think the governament paid them quid a cow they lost, no they didnt? Hence valuers helping the farmers out. It would be like your house burning down and the insurance company only agreeing to pay out a minimum amount. Do you think they got the money straight away. Could they get tractors on and off their farm to do work they needed to do? No they couldnt. The whole fiasco was a ruddy nightmare and that report makes farmers seem greedy when in fact they were just trying to keep their heads above water and their families fed.

What about the farms that were quarantined when there was no outbreak there, ujust because say a milk lorry had visited their farm that had visited another farm in the exclusion zone. They are only going to pay out to farms that lose livestock....... this could mean months on no money to every far in the country at the moment. Can you imagine going 3 weeks (which is the minimum time this is going to draw on for) with NO money, I for one would be screwed and my kids would probably starve.

[Goodsoulette]

*900