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| On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:26:19 +0100, "Pat Gardiner"
<patgardiner@btinternet.com> wrote:
>Pat's Note: Now they tell us.
>
>http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/farm...-name_page.html
>
>How 1m healthy animals were killed needlessly
>
Many of us said that at the time.
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> Sep 26 2006
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> Western Mail
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> THE foot-and-mouth epidemic of 2001 was not as widespread as it
>appeared.
>
> New research by the Institute for Animal Health shows that more than
>one-third of sheep farms (38%) and nearly a quarter of all livestock farms
>(23%) thought to be affected were, in fact, disease-free.
>
> A study by the IAH published in the journal Veterinary Record says no
>evidence of the virus was found in samples collected from 390 out of the
>1,730 so-called infected premises.
>
> A total of 6.5m animals were slaughtered during the outbreak, which
>was the first to affect the UK since 1967.
>
> Government policy at the time was to slaughter susceptible livestock
>on a farm within 24 hours of a vet diagnosing the disease on the basis of an
>animal's symptoms.
>
> Sheep played a major role in the spread of the disease, but showed few
>clinical signs, making diagnosis on the farm very difficult.
>
> Samples were sent to laboratories for testing but the time required to
>test them meant that animals were often killed before the diagnosis was
>confirmed.
>
> The policy of slaughtering animals suspected of having the disease
>within 24 hours meant that more than 1m misdiagnosed animals were
>slaughtered unnecessarily.
>
> The IAH is now developing new quicker tests that can be carried out on
>the farm. The "pen-side" tests, which are at the prototype stage, will allow
>vets to confirm diagnosis without having to wait for laboratory results.
>
> One test detects the protein coat of the virus, using a disposable
>device similar to a home pregnancy test. Another approach detects the
>genetic material of the virus.
>
> The research is being funded by Defra and the European Union.
>
> Nearly 2,000 farms were infected with the virus during the 2001
>epidemic and the total cost to the UK economy was estimated at £8.5bn.
>
> Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan described the
>research as "vital".
>
> He said, "I am sure we can learn a lot from these findings if we are
>unfortunate enough to suffer another outbreak of the disease here in Wales.
>It's important that we don't repeat the mistakes of 2001."
>
> Mr Vaughan pointed out that it was five years since British farming
>was devastated by the foot-and-mouth epidemic.
>
> "I'm sure this information would have been obtained much earlier had
>the Government heeded calls by the FUW and other organisations for a full
>public inquiry into the causes and effects of the outbreak," he said.
>
> "I do not blame anyone for these misdiagnoses. It's easy to look back
>now and say that mistakes were made. But anyone who lived through that
>terrible time will know that the priority for everyone involved in farming
>was to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Time was of the
>essence, and everyone was under intense pressure to take swift and decisive
>action to halt the spread of the disease."
>
> Kevin Pearce, head of food chain and farm policy at the National
>Farmers' Union, said farmers had no choice but to rely on the expertise of
>vets.
>
> "Because the disease is so virulent and spreads so quickly we couldn't
>wait for weeks for results to come back. We had to make judgments and the
>vets made those judgments. At the time there was no alternative," he said.
>
> "Obviously it is upsetting for everyone to retrospectively look back
>and know that animals were slaughtered that didn't have to be. There will be
>some farmers who will be concerned about this clearly, but the reality is
>that there is nothing that anyone could have done differently."
>
> He said the research into "pen-side" tests was an important
>development for the industry around the world.
>
> "To have the ability to rapidly test animals at farm level during an
>incident would be a massive step forward."
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