Check www.warmwell.com for up to date
FMD information.
"FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH, ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING."
1st July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,487.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Saturday 30 June
· 3,463,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,448,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (544,000 cattle, 2,774,000
sheep, 128,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 15,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 24 farms. 2,000 more animals killed of which 2,000, 8,000 are sheep. Is it just that they are correcting yesterday's figures? Looking at the figures for confirmed cases where they have already killed the animals, there must still be more animals killed on 24 farms I would have thought. I am only carrying on putting these dubious figures up so that there is some record of them.
Big A calved late morning today. I was cooking, so Richard took some photos. She has huge teats and the calf needed help getting its first drink.
An email about today's meeting: "Todays meeting was interesting, perhaps
50 people there, i had thought there
may be more but it was a reasonable turn out at short notice. There were
several speakers and this was followed by the election of the national
comitee. i didn't stay for this bit partly because i have an aversion to
comittees and partly because i had to get back and milk, and i'd already
stayed too late, (I've just finished milking)
Dr ruth watkins gave an explanation of vaccination, out lining her plan for
an exit strategy for FMD. I've heard the vaccination argument before, but
i
felt ruth put the argument in a way that was clear and concise. Farmers
wekly gave a fovourable write up of ruth's speach at the bluith wells
meeting, alot of farmers at the blith meeting were impressed with what ruth
said , many of them were oppose to vaccination before because they have not
been told the facts. I think we need to give as many farmers as possible a
chance to hear what ruth has to say.
A specialist in agricultural law from burgess salmon gave us a run doewn
on
the proceedure for opposing the contiguous cull, and finally a farmer from
skipton whose herd had been culled as a contiguous case. I stopped later
than i intended to listen tothis guy, he explained how the ministry had
bullied him into allowing his cattle to be culled, the original IP was
distincly dubious apparently. This was an extremley moving speach, the
farmer broke down as he told us how he wished he had known that he had a
right to oppose the cull, and that he wished he had known that there were
people like tony who could of helped him. This is typical of the disgraceful
way the ministry has treated farmers, if it wasn;t for the resistance of
groups like this n one would know that they had a right to stand up to MAFF/
DEFRA."
From the Sunday Independent: "Taxpayers will have to pay out £2.5bn for government spending on the foot and mouth crisis to date, according to internal Whitehall calculations. The money is equivalent to the sum raised by 1p on the basic rate of income tax. The amount could have been used dramatically to cut hospital waiting lists and class sizes.
Critics say that vaccination would both have been more effective and saved vast sums of money urgently needed for education and health, the Government's professed priorities. The £1bn earmarked for compensation could have built 13,300 more classrooms, more than one for every two of the 25,000 schools in the country. In addition, the £1.5bn spent on the slaughter would have financed 10,000 hospital beds, enough to wipe out the national shortage. Matthew Taylor, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said yesterday: "The Government says it has to resort to the private sector to fund schools and hospitals, yet it has been able to find, without blinking, the equivalent of a penny on income tax to fund the mishandled foot and mouth crisis, money that could instead have drastically reduced waiting times and class sizes. "This surely proves the case that a full independent inquiry is needed into its handling of foot and mouth." Charles Secrett, executive director of Friends of the Earth, added: "At last we know the real cost of the incompetence of the old Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and of Tony Blair's blind allegiance to agribusiness." The huge cost of the crisis is bound to provoke a rethink in Government of the mass slaughter policy. The need for reconsideration will be underlined by a quiet resumption of meat exports last week by the Netherlands, the European country hardest hit by the epidemic, after Britain. "
2nd July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,498. Slaughter and disposal numbers at
17:00 Sunday 1 July
3,468,000 animals identified for slaughter.
3,453,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (545,000 cattle, 2,778,000 sheep,
128,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
14,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 11 farms gone.
I am not surprised that our Government ministers are not planning on holidaying in the UK. Support for the countryside is not high on their agenda. In the Times today : " MINISTERS have been given approval to take overseas holidays by Tony Blair’s Tourism Minister, despite the foot-and-mouth problem. Tessa Jowell, the Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, mounted a staunch defence of ministers’ rights to a foreign holiday yesterday and said she hoped that they would have the rest they deserved. Ms Jowell, who will go to Florida with her family at the end of August, rejected the idea that ministers should be encouraged to take their holidays in Britain to boost tourism, saying that such a move would be an empty gesture. She said: “I agree with Michael Jolly, the chair of the CBI tourism group, that people should go abroad to see what the competition is like. A florishing British tourism industry is one which provides the facilities that people want in their leisure time.”
She seems to be suggesting that it is not possible to have "the rest they deserve"in this country, or to find "the facilities that people want in their leisure time.” It is incredible that she should have the job of promoting British Tourism. The only thing lacking in a holiday here is guarenteed sunshine. If you want to lie in the sun and fry then Britain is not the place to be. I am writing this having just had a day out with Tom and Abi. We left James moving silage bales with a nieghbour who has a larger trailer , and drove 45 minutes down over Bodmin Moor to the Eden Project. James and I had heard Tim Smit talking about it 4 or 5 years ago when it was just a brilliant idea, and had been there last summer when it was just a building site. There is still work in progress, but it is an amazing place. It is well worth a visit. On a hot day like today I found the sun in the biomes rather glaring. By next year the trees should have grown enough to shade the paths. It will be a wonderful place to visit in the winter when it's cold and grey outside.
It's impossible to convey in pictures the sheer scale of the place.
James has moved most of the bales now. Still another mornings work though. I haven't put up a picture of the piglets for a while. They are little ruffians, but not so little any more.
A good letter in the Western Daily press : "NFU must deal with real issues
Western Daily Press 02/07/2001
P & J Britten Whitewood Farm Whitchurch, Bristol
THERE'S nothing more demoralising than reading articles by two prominent National
Farmers Union representatives publicly doing a bit of organic farm, food,
agriculture bashing at this sad time in our agricultural history.
The Soil Association at least tries to address issues.
The standards of organic food production, criticised by Anthony Gibson (It's Time To Fight A Sacred Cow, June 27) are now set by the European Union, so standards dropping are of EU making and not endorsed by many British Soil Association members.
If ever there was a reason for the NFU to bash anything it would be the EU. Attitudes of the NFU hierarchy may have contributed to the fact that out of its membership, less than 50 per cent are farmers.
With the NFU meekly accepting the EU intention that British livestock will be reduced by 20 per cent (very conveniently helped by footand-mouth disease and the culling fields), they should be worried that their subscriptions will be left to be paid by even fewer farmers - 20 per cent fewer maybe!
Should you wish to understand just how much we are controlled by the European Union, some of the answers can be found on www. soilassociation. org, www.
almaservices. co. uk/cannon/Rich ardNorth and www. warmwell. com. Democracy is poised precariously near the edge of oblivion as is traditional British livestock farming.
Ben Gill was confirming the NFU position on vaccination today on the Ananova
site "
A farmers' leader says the Government must take advantage of hot weather to
eradicate foot-and-mouth before the end of the summer.
Ben Gill, president of the National Farmers' Union, delivered the message on the day he would usually give an address at the Royal Show in Warwickshire. The show has been cancelled due to the crisis.
His comments came after a fifth case of foot-and-mouth was confirmed at a farm in the Brecon Beacons, raising concerns the disease may have spread.
.....................
Mr Gill said it is imperative foot-and-mouth is thwarted before cold weather returns and the disease, which does not survive so easily during warm spells, regains momentum.
However, he said his union would still oppose a programme of vaccinating animals against the disease even if it survives through to winter.
"The best time to kill foot-and-mouth is during warm weather," he said. "We must not waste this opportunity.
"I welcome the fact that there were no new cases yesterday but the rump of this disease is being extremely stubborn."
He also called on ministers to tighten up security at ports which he claimed were inadequate.
He said recent trips to Australia and the United States had shown him how far behind Britain was in preventing infected products carrying such diseases from slipping through controls.
3rd July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,509. Slaughter and disposal numbers at
17:00 Monday 2 July
3,471,000 animals identified for slaughter.
3,458,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (546,000 cattle, 2,782,000 sheep,
128,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
13,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 11 farms, another 5,000 animals killed. One more case today, in Cumbria. Someone with more than 1,700 sheep.
It's been hot and sticky today. It's been raining, and there's been thunder rumbling in the distance. I drove to Exeter this morning to take Tom and Abi to the station. Then to the small farmer's market in Launceston where Neil is back to selling his wonderful sausages. He is outside the Infected area now, though we're still in it. The farm just over the river from us is out of it.
Thunder is now getting closer so I'll put this up and switch off and unplug the computer. I've got more to write but feeling nervous.
5th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,539.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Wednesday 4 July
· 3,488,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,472,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (547,000 cattle, 2,794,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 16,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 30 farms. Another 17,000" identified for slaughter". 14,000 killed.
There was a power cut last night, so I couldn't do anything. The night before there was the most incredible thunderstorm with sheet lightening. Trebullett, just down the road, had no electricity from 1.00 am till late last night. I had a lot to say over the past 2 nights and I'm sitting here with my mind blank. We have contractors over the road putting up fencing in our new fields. They are people we know, and there is no risk of infection from them. (No stock in the fields anyway!)
Picture of james with Big A and calf, just to break up the text!
Foot and Mouth is still a very present reality, but at the same time it feels
so unreal. We are still being careful, but not doing the major showering and
changing each time we go down to the village shop. What is the point when
our foot path will be open this weekend? There has been a lot on the news
about the video that is about to go out to farmers. Margaret Beckett spoke
about it in parliament on the 21st June. We haven't got it yet. It is costing
£750,000 and will show us how to keep our farms secure from FMD. It
will tell us how to disinfect and what signs to look for in our animals. It
is coming out more than 4 months too late. If they think it will help to stop
the spread of FMD they should have sent it sooner. If it wasn't necessary
earlier, why waste so much money on it now? and as James said, with all the
extra time he's spending cleaning and disinfecting tractor wheels, what time
does he have to watch videos? I've checked the DEFRA site to see if there
is any way of reconciling the importance of this video with the re-opening
of footpaths and the advice there is the same:
"Keep your farm secure as a disease free area. Ensure that any
visitors to your farm premises are aware of the precautions you are taking
Be aware of the responsibilities you have to yourself, your neighbours and
the livestock around you."
There was a disappointing programe on FMD on Chanel 4 on Tuesday. A quote from Alan & Rosie "We are intrigued by what the programme left out, such as the disastrous 3 day delay between banning exports and banning animal movements, the contributions of Donaldson and Kitching from Pirbright (scarcely touched upon), and that three epidemiological modelling teams commissioned by MAFF (not even mentioned) were discarded in favour of Anderson's crew following a "chance meeting" in a pub!" Exactly. Ben Gill was called the "farmers' leader" at least 4 times and Anderson & King and their team came across as the white knights riding to the rescue with their brave culling policy. There were one or two interesting bits of information. The most interesting was that there were only 165,000 doses available and Ben Gill was given a choice, of using those doses on cattle in Cumbria or keeping those same cattle housed for longer. There was no further vaccination offered to farmers. If that is realy true, why wasn't the NFU making that public?
Anderson & King repeated their "24hour kill, 48 hour contiguous cull, see how it works". Really?
From the DEFRA site today: "In the week ending 4 July, 40% of infected premises had slaughter completed within 24 hours of the first report of disease by the owner. 60% were slaughtered within 36 hours." How does that fit in with
"To prevent the spread of the disease we need to act quickly. Once a new case of the disease has been identified, we slaughter all the susceptible livestock (normally cattle, sheep, pigs and goats) on infected farms. The target is to carry out slaughter within 24 hours of infection being reported. Veterinary and scientific advice is that this action is the most significant factor in stopping the spread of the disease." (again from the DEFRA site).
But from Alan & Rosie "Alayne Addy (a solicitior) was quick to re-assure us that of 150 or so of her clients who have resisted the contiguous cull, only one has gone down with clinical signs of FMD and that the same day as she took on the case (so it already had the disease). The rest have stayed clear and as the blood testing results come through, these have all registered negative so far. In other words, a damning indictment of the contiguous cull policy, since without intervention, all these healthy animals would have been slaughtered for no purpose. She made the point that these results have been negative to antibodies, proving that the animals had not even been "exposed to infection" as the law requires to justify slaughter."
Not sure which publication this came from, got it by email: "Scientists
clash over how to deal with infected animals
By Roger Highfield Science Editor
(Filed: 02/07/2001)
TWO groups of scientists, epidemiologists and vets, have criticised each other for their handling of the foot and mouth epidemic.
Vets, who questioned whether so many animals had to be killed, suggested vaccination was a better way to control the epidemic and poured scorn on computer models used by the epidemiologists.
"Unproven computer predictions" were driving government policy, according to one letter signed by 40 vets that talked of "a savage attack on what livestock remains".
Among the vets who advised the Government was Dr Paul Kitching, now with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Saskatchewan. He likened the computer models to "a bad X-ray where you see breaks and cancers that are not really there".
He said of the Government's scientific advisory group: "There were certainly more modellers than veterinarians. It's a dangerous precedent to take a situation out of the hands of the people whose job it is to control the disease and put it into the hands of people who have got limited experience."
The veterinary community has been accused of being territorial by the science journal Nature. The latest issue says: "Veterinary scientists, both practitioners and researchers, seem resentful of the leading role played by epidemiologists.
"The suspicion is that the complaints are motivated by a desire not to let scientific `outsiders' take credit for delivering generally sound advice."
6th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,556.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Thursday 5 July
· 3,495,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,481,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (548,000 cattle, 2,802,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 14,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 17 farms. Another 9,000 animals killed. The rate of slaughter has not gone down over the past two months.
There doesn't seem to be anything for walkers on the DEFRA site, other than
to tell them the good news that footpaths are open. There is a link to "The
Institute of Public Rights of Ways Officers". I thought I would find
details of information going out to the general public about precautions to
take against spreading FMD. How silly of me. There is a page on FMD but it
says "The Foot and Mouth Information Service has now ceased" . Why,
when it is now that it is most needed? It was simple when no-one was allowed
onto farmland. "Government chief scientist David King has suggested that
poor biosecurity measures are causing continuing outbreaks of foot-and-mouth
disease." and from MAFF fact sheet 6 "Visits to farms, across
farmland and other open country ....., could bring contact with livestock
susceptible to foot and mouth disease. It is possible, therefore, that inadvertently,
infection could be carried to/or from places visited........... Take responsibility
for your own actions whilst visiting farms and ensure the highest standards
of personal disinfection and cleanliness is carried out at all times. Arrive
at the farm clean. Wear a material that can be cleansed and disinfected Ensure
that your vehicle is kept clean."
At the same time, "Trading standards officers are preparing to dish out
£5000 fines to farmers who put up "no entry" signs on reopened footpaths."
I have just been making some posters to put on our gates warning people not to come in unless they are disinfected. Fortunately our footpath is not on a popular route. We've never seen anyone except locals onit.
7th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,564.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Friday 6 July
· 3,499,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,486,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (548,000 cattle, 2,807,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 13,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 8 farms. 5,000 more animals killed.
8th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,577.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Saturday 7 July
· 3,503,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,491,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (549,000 cattle, 2,812,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 12,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 13 farms. 5,000 animals killed (1,000 cattle, 5,000 sheep, the maths is no better under DEFRA). There have been 6 cases up to 16.00 hours today. When I checked just a few minutes ago there had been 5. Yorkshire and Cumbria. I am so thankful that it is not Devon, but feeling very bad for the farms up North. Cumbria has had no respite at all.
Polly and her calf.
I am sorry about the brief and late entries. It is not because I feel FMD is over (it isn't!), just that I've been getting tired, and I can't keep up with the late nights that have to be kept if I'm to write at length or even on time. And there are sites now like warmwell.com and cullmaff.com which are much better than this one at reporting on what is in the papers. It is true, I am feeling more relaxed about FMD for us personaly down here. But that is more because, with the animals out in fields by the road, it would be impossible to keep up the same security. Being unable to be so secure it seems sensible not to worry about it all the time. We do what we can, and otherwise get on with things. I've been looking at the DEFRA site about the video (we haven't received our copy yet). Just a few quotes from it that I cannot reconcile, with the first quote.
"The question of footpaths has been carefully examined by veterinary and other scientific experts. A thorough assessment of the risk that ramblers pose in spreading disease has found that they pose virtually no risk" (From section 4 "Keep your farm secure")
"Materials like mud, manure, slurry, bedding or feedstuffs can carry the virus and may be picked up on vehicles, footwear, clothing or equipment and taken to other animals. The infection could be picked up as you drive or walk across a track, field or road or when you're working in an area where there are infected animals." (From section 2 )
"If you've been near other livestock or livestock farmers away from your farm, you must change your clothes and footwear again when you get back" (from section 3 "keep yourself clean)
"Your dog could be carrying infective material on it's fur or feet so leave it behind! " (from section 7 "avoid visiting other farms )
"Don't think your efforts are wasted because they're not. They may appear time consuming and you may be tempted to skip the routine. Don't! What you're doing is essential. Be thorough and responsible and it'll pay off in the long run not just for you but for farming and other rural industries. " (from section 6 "Clean and disinfect")
These are only a selection. Can someone please explain to me how Icould spread FMD if I were to walk across the road and return to my farm without disinfecting, and a "rambler" walking in the same place will not? Why will my dog spread FMD but not a "rambler's" dog? I am growing increasingly paranoid. Can it be that FMD is not as easily spread as we thought, and there is a plot to restrict the movements of farmers, so they can't meet together and make trouble? Or is it the opposite, and they want FMD to spread, and since the ramblers who spread it Can't spread it, then farmers will be blamed? Any ideas?
Shirley calved yesterday. I held the calf steady this afternoon whilst James ear tagged and castrated it (a special rubber band). It didn't seem to notice what he was doing, as I stroked its neck. A little frog jumped up near its face and then hopped off. The older calves are growing very inquisitive. I have to be careful that they don't lick the camera.
9th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,610.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Sunday 8 July
· 3,516,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,501,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (550,000 cattle, 2,820,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 15,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 33 farms. Another 10,000 animals killed. 101 farms since last Monday, 43,000 animals. More than 14 farms a day, more than 6,000 killed a day. Also from DEFRA "In the week ending 6 July, 51% of infected premises had slaughter completed within 24 hours of the first report of disease by the owner. 49% were slaughtered within 36 hours." And those figures are for a week where there are only meant to have been 3 cases a day.
There are more calls for a public enquiry. From the Newcastle Journal "But the pain doesn't end with those immediately affected by the disease. Some farmers have not earned a penny since February because restrictions have prevented them from selling their animals, but the bills are still coming in, wages need to be paid, and essentials such as food have to be bought. Farmers are demanding that the Government find out how this disease was imported into the country and take action to stop it happening again." The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Jim Thompson, said: "One of the big problems ... is the lack of trust. I have rarely come across such distrust between a whole section of community and government. This distrust will keep on fouling up the inevitable and important reconciliation between government and the agricultural (community). "It (an inquiry) is urgent, not in the sense that it must begin now, but it should be announced now and it should be committed to now." (From Ananova) .Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, argued pressure for an independent public inquiry was intensifying in the countryside. Mr Burge wrote: "We recommend that the inquiry examines the preparation and contingency plans Maff (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) had in place for such a disease, how the process of tracking the outbreak worked and the establishment and management of the containment policy, including all aspects of the cull. In addition the inquiry should examine the biological and social legitimacy of the current policy of disease eradication through slaughter."
From last Thursdays WMN "Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael yesterday sparked a new row over the Government's handling of the foot and mouth crisis after he branded those calling for a full public inquiry into the disaster as "irresponsible". Speaking in a House of Commons debate, Mr Michael batted away repeated calls for a full public inquiry into the outbreak and accused those of pressing for the move of acting irresponsibly. Mr Michael said the Government had promised that it would hold an inquiry of some sort once the epidemic was finally over."
There is talk of the Blairs spending "part" of their holiday in Devon or Cornwall. I wonder.
10th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,635. Slaughter and disposal numbers at
17:00 Monday 9 July
3,522,000 animals identified for slaughter.
3,508,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (551,000 cattle, 2,825,000 sheep,
129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
14,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 25 farms. 7,000 more animals killed (1,000 cattle, 5,000 sheep - doesn't add up again).
A report in the WMN yesterday, quotes David Hill, the NFU Devon President ""The NFU has never been opposed to vaccination full stop, but we were never given enough information," he said. "Our view has not changed the entire way through. It has not yet been spelt out exactly what vaccination means. For instance, as far as I am aware you can't vaccinate sheep and it is only effective in about 90 per cent of cattle cases." It seems incredible that people are still so badly briefed about vaccination.
"Mistakes in the diagnosis of foot and mouth led to the unnecessary slaughter of more than 200,000 animals, according to new government figures. The statistics, released by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will raise fresh questions about the operation of the controversial contiguous cull, in which animals were killed when a neighbouring farm was diagnosed as having foot and mouth." Again from the WMN
11th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,661.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Tuesday 10 July
· 3,532,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,515,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (553,000 cattle, 2,830,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 17,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Another 26 farms. 10,000 more animals to die. 7,000 actualy killed. The nightmare is continuing. A local farmer last night was saying that FMD would be back in the South West in September. Looking at Yorkshire, anything is possible.
How can Gussie see where she is going?
An article in the Guardian today is headlined "Careless farmers spreading disease". It then goes on to quote farmers complaining about DEFFRA's lack of bio security. On the radio someone from DEFFRA was saying that they need details of complaints about any DEFRA's breaking of bio-security regulations. Many farmers are feeling too intimidated, the conception is that if you make things difficult for DEFFRA they will make things difficult for you. I know in the MAFF days, one farmer having his pigs culled was told by the MAFF vet that if he didn't co-operate "we will take your cows as well". At the same time, farmers are constantly being accused by DEFFRA and by politicians of not taking bio-security seriously and these allegations are never specific.
An article in New Statesman of April 16. "The foot and mouth cull should have animal rights activists out in droves. Where are they?" David Cox normally writes very unsympathetically about farmers, but this is good.
12th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,682.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Wednesday 11 July
The database shows:
· 3,544,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,525,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (555,000 cattle, 2,838,000
sheep, 129,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 20,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
21 more farms. 12,000 more animals to be killed. 10,000 more killed and 3,000 more waiting to be killed. I feel angry enough about all the deaths without the contempt shown by not even getting the figures right. And can we trust any of the figures anyway?
13th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,695.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Thursday 12 July
· 3,555,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,535,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (556,000 cattle, 2,845,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 20,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Gussie and piglets rooting up the docks in what will be our vegetable garden
one day.
Walking up Higher Above Way later in the evening, looking towards Bodmin Moor. It looks like more rain coming.
14th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,709.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Friday 13 July
· 3,558,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,541,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (557,000 cattle, 2,850,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 17,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
The river down by East Ham, where the ewe hoggs are, is quite low now after
all the dry weather.
15th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,721.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Saturday 14 July
· 3,563,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,548,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (558,000 cattle, 2,857,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 17,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
18th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,777.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Tuesday 17 July
· 3,584,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,569,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (559,000 cattle, 2,877,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 15,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
· Of those animals slaughtered 12,000 remain to be disposed of.
19th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,811.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Wednesday 18 July
· 3,592,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,572,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (560,000 cattle, 2,879,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 21,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Baabaa has grown well.
23rd July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,883.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Sunday 22 July
· 3,614,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,591,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (564,000 cattle, 2,894,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 23,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
We had to call the knacker to kill a ewe and take her away. She had had mastitis badly and it hadn't responded to treatment and her udder was in a very bad way. The knacker killed her with a single shot through the skull and it was instant. He stayed and talked for a while about FMD. He had a lot to say, not least bout the phone call he'd had from a relative in New Zealand 2 weeks before the outbreak started, asking how he was managing with Foot and Mouth.
It was our wedding anniversary yesterday. We were walking round checking the animals before going to Church, and then found the ewe in a bad way, so it was too late for church then. Later in the afternoon we started cutting for hay. We started in Slade where there are a couple of patches of thistles that were full of butterflies. James didn't want me to put up a picture of the thistles, but you can just see a tortoiseshell butterfly.
24th July
Number of affected premises (17:00 Sunday 22 July)
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 8,893.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 Monday 23 July
· 3,620,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,593,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (564,000 cattle, 2,895,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 27,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
They have changed the way they report slightly, putting the date for the affected premises.
More than 100,000 more animals killed since I put this up last (on the 9th?). 273 farms. And I've just had a phone call. telling me that there has been a case near Cork in Ireland. I only hope it's a mistake.
first, many apologies to anyone who has been trying to access this site. I got behind hand, and have been trying to catch up. I realise, however, that i am just getting further and further behind so I will put up what I've got here. I am alright. I suppose i've been rather depressed. The weather hasn't helped, and then the way things are getting worse instead of better. Unbelievable news on Monday with the announcement that disinfecting is being stopped on farms as "it is costing too much". There can be no excuse for that.
We've been cutting grass today and yesterday. It's been fairly cloudy and the air is very thundery feeling, but it's not meant to rain. We'll start baling on Thursday. It's good timing. I'm picking Will up at Heathrow on Thursday morning (plane gets in at 5.30am), so he'll be straight into it. Richard will come up from Plymouth in the evening to help. I'm about to leave for a meeting in Exeter and then I'm driving straight to my mother's in Sussex which will mean a shorter drive on Thursday morning. So I won't be putting anything else up here till Friday or Saturday.
I've been taking pictures and have a few new ones here. I'll put the rest up at teh weekend as I must go now.
27th July
Number of affected premises at 17:00 26 July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 8,949.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 26 July
· 3,633,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,605,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (566,000 cattle, 2,906,000
sheep, 131,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 28,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
I am back. I came home yesterday but had to go straight out to Corner Park and drive a tractor (tedding the hay, whilst James baled Slade).
I got down to my mother's in Sussex at 2.15 in the morning after going to the NFU meting in Exeter first. There were about 500 farmers there. It was rather a frustrating meeting. We were standing at one end of a vast exhibition hall with very bad acoustics so the only way to be heard was to be holding the microphone. There were questions from the floor, but no way of responding to the answers to the questions. A young girl asked why farmers were not given the chance to choose culling or vaccination and the answer was that vaccination was not possible. I managed to get to ask a question, feeling rather nervous in such a large gathering of strangers. I pointed out that FMD was not over, with a real danger of it returning to the West Country, and when were the NFU going to give their members the facts about vaccination? My reply from David Hill was that vaccination as such was always an option, but that they could not recommend it to their members when the Government would not give any guarentees that their stock would not be slaughtered after vaccination. I would have liked to get back to him, (but no longer had the microphone) to ask why the NFU were still not giving the facts about vaccination to their members. Judging by the very limited applause in response to my question and the much louder applause in response to Mr Hill's answer, the majority of farmers there still think that vacination is not a real option. Why can't the NFU encourage its members to lobby for vaccination?
There was a lot of talk at the meeting about the stopping of the clean up operations on farms and the restrictions that a number of farms are still living with. One farmer gave an example of why the cleanup is costing so much. The inspecting official from DEFRA going into a farm building that had been pressure-washed several times and disinfected several times, and using a pair of tweezers to pull a bit of straw (well soaked with disinfectant) from a crack and saying the whole building needed disinfecting again!
After the meeting I stayed and talked for an hour. It was strange to see so many farmers together. There were a lot of angry people there, and calls for a big march on London.
My youngest niece, visiting from Hong Kong
I had a pleasant day in Sussex after that, seeing family. William's plane was due in at about 5.00 am the next day. He phoned in the afternoon to say that there was a typhoon warning in Hong Kong and the ferries off Lamma Island were not running, so he couldn't catch his plane. If we hadn't been hay-making I would have stayed in Sussex to meet his plane on Saturday, but I had to come back.
29th July
Number of affected premises at 17:00 28 July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 8,958.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 26 July
· 3,635,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,612,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (567,000 cattle, 2,912,000
sheep, 130,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 23,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Note the change in numbers for the same date (26 July) as put up on the 27th. The figures for yesterday were the same.
Life has been a bit busy. Driving a tractor a lot. Tedding hay and baling and bringing it in. Will is now home. Mary and Richard got up at 4.00 am yesterday to meet him at Heathrow and then we went up to Taunton to have a lovely BBQ with them and bring him home. Then straight out to the fields and working till dark It's good to have him back for a while before he starts university. We should have been bringing in hay today but we have some help tomorrow and it's not meant to rain so we have been taking a day off. It's been amazingly hot. James made me go and lie in the hammock under a tree this afternoon. it felt really decadent.
30th July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,964.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 29 July
· 3,649,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,616,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (568,000 cattle, 2,916,000
sheep, 130,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 33,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
There was a fine drizzly mist first thing this morning. Very irritating. It wasn't forcast. It did brighten up after that, though.
31st July
Number of affected premises at 17:00 30 July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 8,928*.
*The number of affected premises has fallen by approximately 40. These premises'
records have been deleted from the database as they did not and do not hold
any livestock and therefore should not have been entered onto the database.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 30 July
· 3,650,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,626,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (568,000 cattle, 2,917,000
sheep, 139,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 24,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
I'm not sure why I'm printing these statistics still. 40 farms removed because "they did not and do not hold any livestock". Do any of these figures mean anything at all? Does anyone in MAFF/ DEFRA realise that these figures relate to people as well as animals?