A FORTNIGHT can sometimes seem a long time, particularly if you a livestock farmer in North Wales at the present time.
The announcement of another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could not have come at a worse time for many farmers.
Whilst the source was quickly identified as the Pirbright Animal Health Facility in Surrey, there has been no definitive and independent report as to the actual source - although most believe that the blame lies with the American pharmaceutical company operating from that site.
However, farmers must be becoming increasingly frustrated with the State Veterinary Service, (though I believe it now calls itself Animal Health).
The way in which they have handled this crisis has been utterly deplorable. Their spokesperson has lacked any form of charisma and appears totally unconcerned with her bad management of the situation.
North Wales is more than 200 miles from the source of this outbreak, so I do not see why farmers here should be subjected to the same levels of biosecurity as those within, say, 50 miles of the outbreak.
Several years ago the Welsh Assembly was created so as to bring power closer to the people in Wales, but all we really have is a glorified talking shop.
Whilst it might be unreasonable to expect them to make an exception for Welsh farmers during what is afterall their extended summer holiday break, I think that they should at least have had a debate as to the merits of reducing livestock movement restrictions in Wales.
Whilst everybody else is sunning themselves or making sand castles on the beach, Head Vet orders farmers to be extra vigilant in looking after their livestock.
I think there is a limit to how much longer livestock farmers can be abused bearing in mind we have now had two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, a worsening situation with regard to bovine tuberculosis and we still await the scientific evidence with regard to what effect BSE has on human health.
With regard to BSE, it is nearly 15 years ago that the Government initially warned of problems with the “human form of mad cow disease”, but in all that time since they have failed to provide the scientific evidence of the link between BSE and the similar disease in humans.
I think it is dreadful that farmers have been subjected to another bout of heavy handed bureaucracy and movement restrictions after another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease for which they were in no way responsible.
