foot and mouth

[colin-yorkshire]

just got home from work and seen the news new out break of foot and mouth oh my god!!!

and I go touring in three weeks??.

OR should I say were going touring

any thoughts people

colin

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

Colin I've just collected our caravan, I booked a ferry earlier this evening for the morning as our caravan is only kept a short distance from the affected farm at my parents.

So I'm getting it out before the country side is closed down again.

Ria

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

I was shocked when I heard it on the radio this morning, it brings back memories of 2001 and the ghastly funeral pyres.

Gordon Brown has cut his holiday short, they appear to be on the ball this time, and the opposing parties are asking for livestock to be vaccinated in the surrounding farms. Whether they will do it I don't know!

IMO I think it's too early to start cancelling holiday arrangements, alot can happen in three weeks! :O)

 

[SteveW77]

our caravan is only kept a short distance from the affected farm at my parents.

So I'm getting it out before the country side is closed down again.

Ria

If you don't mind me saying, it was farmers with the same attitude that caused the last disaster.

Surely common sense dictates that movement around an infected area should be kept to a minimum. Are we going to see a mass exodus of panicked people doing their own thing, a bit like the water hoarders in Glouster.

Steve W

 

[Rita1]

WELL SAID Steve W

 

[RonD]

It amazes me that armies of TV crews and the media make a beeline for the infected area to report that it's being isolated...why don't they keep away? Is it necessary to be in the centre of the infected area to make a report? We know where Surrey is...

Ron

 

[David.O]

Steve

As a farmer it effects me as from today. I need to move some 300 animals each week I have one weeks spare accommodation and no more. As an industry we have been on to HMG to stop imports of Beef from South America for some time the whole area is rife with FMD hence the Beef is cheap and it is more important to keep the likes of Mr Tesco happy than the health of farm animals. Just as an aside just up the road from the farm is the research institute at Pirbright, and were do all the FMD samples from around the world go to be typed !

David from Suffolk

 

[emmerson2]

Good luck, David

 

[SteveW77]

David,if you are trying to make a point I am afraid I do notsee it. If you thought that I was criticising all farmers, I can assure you that this is not the case. All I was trying to point out was that unnecessary movement through this infected area can only exacerbate the problem whether it be livestock caravans or anything else. It only took a few greedy selfish people to spread this disease last time round. The result millions of dead animals, this is to deadly to play about with.

Steve W

 

[David.O]

Steve

I have no problem with your views in fact I throughly endorse them. I have never been in favor of livestock marts, they were the main coarse of the last problems, and I see bringing animals in from farms to be in contact with others as a clearing house for any disease there is going. But there comes a time when there will be major welfare problems should the movement ban be in place to long. Last time they issued special licensees and this I hope will happen again, Also there were loads of sheep last time were no movement records were kept. I could if required produce records of every animal moved on or of the farm going back some 20 years this is a bit OTT but it is a principal I need to upheld. And as you say keeping away from the area is something we all need to do. I saw the animals on TV today and they looked in first class condition, a credit to the person who had looked after, them they must be devastated by what has happened.

David from Suffolk

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all

well done david you got it in one

latest news reports comming in that the sourse of the infection could be the research institute at pirbright

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

"Surely common sense dictates that movement around an infected area should be kept to a minimum."

What a post!

I moved our caravan not a heard of cows!

The roads are open, only Westwood Lane from the the Hogs Back

A31 and local roads around the farm have been closed.

As far as I know the A31 has been open most of the time since the Foot and Mouth was discovered and the A3 is also less than two miles away.

The A323 and A324 Pirbright Road that leads to the Pirbright Research Laboratories are quite busy roads and Bisley Camp (NRA)has been hosting the 2007 South of England HOG rally with thousands of Harleys from all over the UK and Europe attending this weekend and "Riding Out" on the above roads and others close to Wanborough.

Pirbtight Laboratories are surrounded by Farm Land and is close to Pirbright Ranges and Army Camp as well as Bisley that is part of the same parcel of MOD land and there is plenty of free running wild life in the non public areas there and on the surrounding country side.

We have an agenda to meet and rather than find our selves in difficulties in a couple of weeks I took our van back to France early.

Surrey Police and Defra people had no problem with that as they visited the farm that borders my parents house and they were asked about us moving the caravan and my parents using there cars!

With two main dual carriageway roads within less than two miles of the farm and the usual traffic boosted by thousands of British and European bikers using local roads and many riding past the Laboratories where the infection may have come from, if traffic movement is a problem blame the authorities for not locking down the whole area!

Ria

 

[RichardS1]

Hopefully if the source was Pirbright this will be an isolated case and the farming community will not face the same devastation it did back in 2001. You have to feel for the poor farmer though the cattle which were shown on the news looked to be really well kept. Back in 2001 though where we are in the north yorks moors we had the disinfectanct mats on the roads after the cattle grids. The public thought because of this the whole area was closed which devasted the local businesses in the villages. As I said earlier lets hope this is an isolated case but if it does spread while everyone needs to respect the closure of footpaths over farmland the towns and villages in the countryside will still be open for business.

 

[SteveW77]

After reading the papers and watching the news on TV, it would appear that this virus is a difficult beast to destroy. The virus is stated as being long lasting in an open environment and it seems most likely to be the result of a failure of bio-security at a research facility. If indeed this was an airborne release my first posting still stands, this virus can attach its self to anything in its path, animal vegetable or mineral, this includes caravans. By removing a caravan " before the country side is closed down" implies that you think that that is a likely occurrence.

Steve W

 

[Diane1]

"Surely common sense dictates that movement around an infected area should be kept to a minimum."

What a post!

I moved our caravan not a heard of cows!

The roads are open, only Westwood Lane from the the Hogs Back

A31 and local roads around the farm have been closed.

As far as I know the A31 has been open most of the time since the Foot and Mouth was discovered and the A3 is also less than two miles away.

The A323 and A324 Pirbright Road that leads to the Pirbright Research Laboratories are quite busy roads and Bisley Camp (NRA)has been hosting the 2007 South of England HOG rally with thousands of Harleys from all over the UK and Europe attending this weekend and "Riding Out" on the above roads and others close to Wanborough.

Pirbtight Laboratories are surrounded by Farm Land and is close to Pirbright Ranges and Army Camp as well as Bisley that is part of the same parcel of MOD land and there is plenty of free running wild life in the non public areas there and on the surrounding country side.

We have an agenda to meet and rather than find our selves in difficulties in a couple of weeks I took our van back to France early.

Surrey Police and Defra people had no problem with that as they visited the farm that borders my parents house and they were asked about us moving the caravan and my parents using there cars!

With two main dual carriageway roads within less than two miles of the farm and the usual traffic boosted by thousands of British and European bikers using local roads and many riding past the Laboratories where the infection may have come from, if traffic movement is a problem blame the authorities for not locking down the whole area!

Ria

And you call yourself an enviromentalist? Double standards again? Only what have come to know and expect.Foot and Mouth can be carried on the wheels of your car and Caravan, it can be transfered by touch or on your clothes.

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

The Authorities had no problem with numerous helicoptors that we could se over the farm and with trafiic only a few hundred yards away. The roads are still open!

Your thoughts are irrelevant Steve W, Defra were happy for me to move the caravan and that's all that counts.

If the virus is so easy to spread, the Harleys leaving for home today will be spreading around the UK and across Europe! So why has the area not been locked down?

Ria

 

[SteveW77]

Hang on!! There was no mention of DEFRA in you original post. You gave the distinct impression that you were getting your

van out because you expected the authorities to do exactly what you have said IE:,Lock down the area.

Steve W

 

[NorfolkMike]

Ria & James.

I will join you as you must be feeling all alone.

You have to remember that once an idea is in someones head logic will never remove it. They are quite happy for the main roads to be open, deliveries to still being made,people to go to work, the media crawling all over the place sticking microphones up anyones face who will speek to them, BUT YOU you terrible people want to move your caravan. Oh my god, you surly do not expect people to listen to your views or indeed the logic of them. No chance you are a condemed family.

ttfn

 

[Val & Frank]

Well Mike,Ria,James, I think we can now hold a party because Val & Frank agree with you 100%.

Val & frank

 

[rayc]

Ria & James.

I will join you as you must be feeling all alone.

You have to remember that once an idea is in someones head logic will never remove it. They are quite happy for the main roads to be open, deliveries to still being made,people to go to work, the media crawling all over the place sticking microphones up anyones face who will speek to them, BUT YOU you terrible people want to move your caravan. Oh my god, you surly do not expect people to listen to your views or indeed the logic of them. No chance you are a condemed family.

ttfn

I also support Ria and james in their actions. I'm sure that caravanners did not spread the disease at the last foot and mouth outbreak and I am sure they will not this time. During the last outbreak I was at a C&CC site which was adjacent to farms where animals were being culled. neither the site or the main road past it were closed by the authorities.

 

[Surfer]

According to the BBC the F & M is one from a vaccine at a nearby DEFRA test centre and is no thought to be the full F & M imported from another country or even another farmer. They now want to find out who leaked out the vaccine to infect the cows on the farm.

 

[NorfolkMike]

Well Mike,Ria,James, I think we can now hold a party because Val & Frank agree with you 100%.

Val & frank

It will have to be a virtual party as this lot wont let us travel

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

Neighbours and local friends of my parents like them have had reporters knocking at their doors and locals also reported seeing press in the fields before the police clamped down.

We assume the same reporters are the ones that have knocked on doors and visited other farms in the area!

Mum and Dads house is bordered by a farm access and my Dad spoke to Defra and Police visiting that farm, as he wanted to know about using their cars and asked about moving the caravan.

I was booked to go to Cornwall with the caravan in a few days with my daughter before James returns and we go to France.

If the F&M spreads we could find many UK campsites out of bounds, so taking the caravan to France and holidaying with my daughter there seems a wiser move.

Defra said there was no restriction on moving vehicles and as said there have been many thousands of vehicles from all over Europe passing through the area close to the Laboratory and the farm in question.

Visiting the HOG rally this morning and my parents, normal traffic is using Ash road past the Pirbright Laboratories and the press and satellite vehicles are camped at the entrance and along the road, and there are no other road restrictions now as far as we know.

If anyone is interested, the Lab on Ash Road Pirbright and the Westwood Lane area of Normandy/Wanborough where the farm is, is surrounded by many thousand of acres of farm land and open country side like the Pirbright Ranges can easily be seen on Google Earth. Wild life is probably the most likely threat I guess in spreading disease.

Ria

ps . On F&M. No doubt some others will have seen the fiasco of six years ago where spacemen like figures at Calais stood alongside disinfectant baths and sprayed vehicle wheels on the ferry port exit whilst other vehicles using the port used other private exit and entrance points with no baths!

 

[David.O]

Emmerson

Firstly sorry I have not got back to you before but we have had alot to do. Many thanks for your good wishes, If all goes to plan we should be moving animals next week, I must say it surprised me the way Defra moved, all credit to them. Lets now hope the FMD is under control and we can all resume our lives. But it does highlight just how careful we all must be when we are in the countryside.

David from Suffolk

 

[emmerson2]

david, good to here you may be able to regain normal life soon. The bit I cannot understand, however, is that DEFRA have banned all stock movement, but not restricted anything else.I have two farming friends, one in Wiltshire, and one local to me in South Wales. As I understand it, I could have visited Jim in Wiltshire, then gone straight from there and visited Tom in Wales, with no restriction, but I could not have moved stock from one to the other.Seems daft to me!!

BTW, Defra= Department for Elimination of Farming and Rural Affairs.