COULD this epidemic of foot and mouth have been imported through our European partners' negligence?

It's well known that this virus has recently been affecting the Indian sub-continent and South Africa, and that the virus could have entered our country on cured or dried meat, or even a carcass, perhaps even on a person's clothing.

It's also ironic that our European neighbours are now taking time to examine vehicles for signs of contamination, but they showed little vigilance when it came to asylum seekers trying to gain illegal entry (via these same vehicles) into our country!

If the virus behaves the way MAFF are saying it can spread, then they are unfortunately not going to control it very easily, as surely the biggest difference to the outbreak 34 years ago must be the closure of local slaughterhouses. To re-open these localised abattoirs, and train people to run them and oversee the operating process, would in the long term surely save money.

It would cut down on all unnecessary moving of animals around the country and, in this case, perhaps contain rather than speed the disease.

We should also look to providing extra resources to 'police' entry points into our country, especially the Channel Tunnel and sea ports.

I pray this outbreak will be eradicated quickly, and the sooner the misery ends for the farming community the better.

To see scenes of farms with fields of newly born lambs with their mothers, and wondering if they will be next to be culled, is to say the least heartbreaking.

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