buffie Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Sadly surrey reports foot and mouth tonight. I am trying to check details for Jimmy's Farm, hoping all is still ok. For obvious reasons I am trying to check it will go ahead. If I hear anything to the contrary I will post here tomorrow. We are due to leave at 7am to get there. Lesley and Carl, we hope this is an isolated case and are thinking of you. Hugs Buff xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Dreadful news. Lets hope it is a false alarm. If it is the real thing....lets hope the powers that be handle it better than last time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 Nikki emailed late last night. Jimmy's is open for business so see anyone off to Jimmy's later! What time is this... BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 What terrible news - lets hope its either a false alarm or its quickly contained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Awful news. Don't know much about it yet, but I heard on the news this morning that it was a beef fattening place. Is this another symptom of the mass production of fast food being an overly risky business? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Oh dear, heres hoping that it's an isolated case, and is contained now, without any of the devestation that was caused by the outbreak in 2001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 On our local news (we're about 7 miles away as the crow flies and backing onto a dairy cow field!) it's been found in cows that graze in a filed used by multiple farmers so it could turn out to be a bit of a nightmare. They found it Thursday allegedly but "forgot" to tell any of the local resident - they still haven't officially told them anything. Doesn't look like thy've learnt much since the last time. Mrs Bertie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 What awful news How can you forget something like that esp with what happened last time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 It is a bit worrying - I was at Stratford Farmers' Market this morning and it will probably cause most farmers some problems The worst problem for those not directly affected will be feedstuff. Fodder is going to be in short supply anyway because of the floods and now there is a restriction on movement then farmers are going to have to keep, and feed, animals which are ready for the abattoir. We have 2 pigs ready to go - I was going to phone on monday and make an appointment We have some stocks of feed but when Carl went to get some more this morning, there was none to be had at Countrywide (not our usual supplier) - no pig feed, no sheep feed and no cattle feed. Our grass is poor and we have to supplement. It is difficult enough to get organic feed at the best of time but it will be even more difficult now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geb0205 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Its absolutely dreadful, I do hope it is not a repeat of last time, I dont think the farming community will survive if it is. Just a plea to the horse riders on here though, horses can carry the virus on their hooves,and althougf not directly affected, can be carriers of the disease from place to place. I think its only fair that us horse owners think carefully before going out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susiepoos Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Here we go again and what makes it so much worse is that it looks like a research centre could be responsible for the spread. It's probably down to budgets and targets like everything else in this country. I work for the NHS and budgets and targets are the bane of my life - no one stops to talk about the patient or their care or the nurses looking after 36 patients with 1 trained and 2 auxillaries and they wonder why they can't beat the battle with MRSA and clos diff God help us with foot and mouth!!!!!! Rant over!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 It seem madness to me that farmers have access to a communal grazing ground for their cattle. It would appear that lessons have not been learned from the last outbreak. Even I as a person with no farming experience whatsoever knows that the virus is spread through contact with infected saliva....so why are separate herds allowed to use the same ground. It is a recipe for disaster. My son reckons it is a spot of bio terrorism if it has been caused by a leak from the lab....after all the procedures there should be stringent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 It is an incredibly contagious and robust virus (I hope that Louise will know more when she's back online tomorrow), it can be carried easily by mice and birds, from one farm to the next and the virus can last for ages outside the body too. I've not seen the telly (nothing new there then), but will make a point of watching news 24 at my folks tomorrow to see what the developments are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 I don't know any more than you guys at the moment What I do know is that if it has been a leak it will likely be human error as the safety measures in the places that make vaccines are tremendous They have to ensure that the material going into the vaccine is sterile and that nothing gets out afterwards. These things are never handled on an open bench and any spills are dealt with using an appropriate spill kit immediately and for F&M it will be a liquid disinfectant as it is easy to kill outside the beast. the problem with it is that once inside the beast it multiplies too quickly for the naive immune system to produce enough antibodies before the animal is swamped It has to be said that my forst thought when I heard this on Friday evening was that Pirbright was to blame It is the UK F&M reference lab as well as the only place licenced in the UK to handle this particular virus If I am able to shed light later on I will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 I suppose the only small ray of light in this is that if it is the lab (either part) to blame then maybe the farmers might actually get some compensation from somewhere and not face financial ruin. No consolation to the poor animals or the farmers emotional stress. Mrs B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starboyhull Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 If it is the lab to blame then ths needs to be dealt with in the correct manner, if not I do think that farmers need to take responsibility of their livestock, its no good just blaming everyone else all the time. If these farmers are grazing their livestock with others then there is no wonder this sort of thing can spread so quickly. Everyone involved with this kind of livestock should have taken actions after last time, this includes the farmers, government and everyone in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainboarddude Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 i work on a farm a few miles away from the foot and mouth outbreak, and i hope the animals are ok as i have got quite attached to some of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Oh Mat - sorry to hear this. I hope they're OK too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Oh dear. I hope they're OK, Mat. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Apparently though, from what my mum told me tonight, they killed all the animals on the Surrey farm, put them on the back of a lorry covered in tarpaulin and have brought them down this way to Somerset (where she lives) for the carcasses to be cremated Doesnt this spread through the air, and if it does why do they not contain the carcasses/burning in one place?? Poor animals and poor farmers thats what I say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 It's so very sad.. I saw a picture of the farmer in the papers this morning - he'd had to have his whole herd slaughtered.. he looked a broken man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 They are reporting a second possible case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted August 7, 2007 Author Share Posted August 7, 2007 To be honest it's in the area so would be expected. It would be worse if it were out of the isolation zone wouldn't it. Hope it's all sorted out soon and the media don't create hysteria again! BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladylucan Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Yep i read about the other case on the news last night, not good, i do feel so sorry for all the farmers, all their hard work, .. it really makes you want to cry for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted August 7, 2007 Author Share Posted August 7, 2007 This cam from sheepdrove and makes interesting reading! Dear Customer We are so sorry that we were forced to cancel our August Open Day by the government's vet due to the break-out of Foot & Mouth Disease in Surrey. Unfortunately we were not able to invite you to our beautiful farm because of the risk to the animals at Sheepdrove. The news of the out-break came late Friday night and we were only able to talk to the vet on Saturday morning, so we had little time to warn you of the cancellation. We did all we could - such as posting it on the web site and telling local radio - but we knew this was not going to avoid disappointment. Our cancellation results from an insane policy of not allowing vaccination. If farmers were allowed to vaccinate against F&M disease the whole issue just goes away. Farmers regularly vaccinate for other diseases that are more serious than F&M so why not for this disease? It is all to do with trade rules. Originally the UK went to Brussels with the idea to create a disease free European zone. This was to control the market in such a way that countries with F&M would not be able to export to us - mostly third world countries where the disease is endemic. Since then these controls have largely fallen away - Brazil for example has to vaccinate as do many countries in Africa. The Europeans' at the same time, set up rules to make it a disadvantage to vaccinate - so if you cull animals, the last culled animal means you can resume trade with the rest of Europe immediately. However if you vaccinate you have to wait 6 months from the last vaccination. But guess what happens when a bordering country to the EU gets F&M - the EU pays for the country to vaccinate - not cull! Why? Because the virus is wiped out much faster - because when animals are vaccinated the virus has nowhere to go - and it dies - there are no animals to get it having been protected, as our children are, by vaccination. It is as simple as that! What is then dangerous about the virus? It is not a fatal disease - all animals recover and with sheep, they hardly notice it. Pigs get it the worst . So what is dangerous is our government and their stupid, pointless rules that lead to a 2001 bill of £8.5 billion and 6.5 million animals - the vast majority not infected by F&M! This time there was a lot of talk about vaccination - I'm afraid that is all spin - because in 2001 their actions proved so unpopular that this time they knew it was important to mention the word vaccination in every second sentence! Kind regards Peter and Juliet Kindersley BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
