Another foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey

[Upwind]

Shortly after the government gave the official all-clear we have a new outbreak. Grim news for farmers.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6990913.stm

You have to wonder if the biosecurity at the category 4 labs concerned is so lax that foot and mouth escaped, how secure they can be for human diseases?

The farmers must be livid. I don't blame them.

I wonder if research facilities like the one at Pirbright should simply be located on islands?

They had to 4pm to move there stock, never seen so many Land rovers speeding about Cumbria.

Can not believe the lack of bio security.

I live less than a mile from this outbreak

science teacher

What I don't understand is why isn't Pirbright back in a control zone until they really have an understanding of where this new outbreak came from? Doesn't make sense to me.

Just looking at the map showing how close this new outbreak is to London

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2007/09/13/nfandm113big.gif

"Scientists said the virus could have been transported on lorry wheels or through watercourses or the air."

So could other viruses or diseases have been transported in the same way. The more I hear about this the more I get

Fucking hell, not again!

WTF?!

These people are barely scraping a living as it is.

I live in Chertsey and regularly shop at many of the Lyne Farm shops. Oh dear.

I've just been to my parents today and I've never seen my dad so low (a sheep farmer). If some sort of package isn't put in place then many of the hill farmers will go out of business. I feel so about it all.

I'm so sorry about your dad's farm, north . Am lighting candles here soon that this can be contained and everyone fully compensated for their losses.

Thanks expat, I know from previous threads we have very similar views on food production/farming issues. I think a lot of peoples attitudes are that it's just farmers whingeing again but this situation makes some livestock farming more unsustainable than it already is and we'll all be worse off for that. (not sure I've expressed myself very well!)

sometimes I feel as though all this endless beurocracy, quangos and private sector partnerships are just a clever design to ensure that noone in our government is never held accountable for anything

Good article here: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/09/14/do1406.xml

"The Government knew about the specific problems with the drains at least as long ago as July 2004, when the private company Merial, which occupies part of the site and was initially, and wrongly, fingered by Gordon Brown and government spin doctors as the culprits, wrote to Defra about the issue. Defra sat on its hands.

""Containment laboratories at the IAH are very old and are well short of the standards expected at an internationally important laboratory." Defra didn't need Spratt to tell them that. They knew already.

For years, and especially since 2001, farmers have been subject to an oppressive government regime of inspection and penalties. If they get the smallest detail wrong, they get the book thrown at them. Yet when the Government fouls up, as they have done repeatedly, nobody seems to be responsible."

We are ment to be going to Fishers Farm tomorrow for DS's birthday - do you think i shaould call first to see if they are still open? They are in Whisborough Green in West Sussex?

Sorry if thats a stupid question - i don't quite understand the whole FAM thing!

Charlee - I would call to check they are open and you can have access to livestock

So many livelihoods are being ruined by this

And there is now another case

www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/story/0,,2169297,00.html

I drove past the first farm today (the road has reopened) - very strong smell of disinfectant in the air, and horribly silent fields.