F&M test in Essex - negative so far

[airedale]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/6090226.stm

ho hum - here we go again - it's the silly season for DEFRA and the press - they've done Madonna to death - lets go out and slaughter a few thousand animals instead :-((

let's hope the vets actually know what they are looking at/for this time round

and if it's not F&M then the silly season for bird flu is looming as well.................

either being found will impact on our access to bridlepaths.

gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[Jo C]

Thank God for that - I was waiting for it all to kick off again.

 

[Clodagh]

Oh please no, not again.
Sorry to sound a bit boring, but it is no joking matter.

 

[Twiglet]

Negative for f&m, they're testing for Vesicular Stomatitis, which horses can contract.

According to local DEFRA office, there is a local ban on all movement of livestock inc horses, within 5 mile radius.

 

[Theresa_F]

Really hope this is not going to happen again. So many people and animals suffered last time.

 

[SSM]

I think if we had another outbreak it would completly finish farming off in some areas - old 2 jags could then build concrete jungles everywhere

 

[airedale]

totally agree

it's c**p that they could vaccinate but won't - for both F&M and for bird flu

this is because the 'big corporate' 'farms' (read factory - not real farms) hold far too much sway over DEFRA policy.

most REAL people would like to see vaccination not extermination

wonder what they'll call DEFRA after another massacre outbreak ? more rebranding to protect the guilty.

MAFF - ministry against farming families

DEFRA - destroy every free ranging animal

and the next.............

farming is already dead in this country

just came back from a visit to VERY rural france. could not believe the number of large new clearspan barns - plus lots of new tractors and more than one of them.....all from the EU handouts and French gov. support for farming.

Over here a close friend is a very large (hundreds of acres) farmer and he's got rid of his 2nd tractor as he cannot afford to run it - he has one tractor, one manitou and one 1960 fordson

RIP UK farming - even those of us who 'farm' in a small way - in my case my farming is supported by liveries and a full time office job - are stuggling. If I didn't keep the office job there is NO way I could cover the costs of farming my sheep/poultry/hay.

and yet people with horses do tend to moan about hay and feed prices - yet do not equate those with the increased cost of fuel to run the tractors....etc....etc

my small J.Deere tractor needed just a basic service and a small repair for overheating - £650 quid - and hard to find anyone to do the work - now to recover that cost it would be the equivalent of £0.90 per bale on my hay - or thereabouts

yet in Bourges in France the french farmers are a benefit for the BMW and Mercedes dealerships - and I don't me OLD cars - these are brand new....!!!

DEFRA doesn't help UK farming - it and this gov. are driving UK farming to the wall

for those that just have horses - equate what I'm saying in regard to every single item of horse food having to be imported from abroad.

Horse keeping is already a 'luxury' in this country - when there is no farming left it'll become totally unaffordable for a lot of us......

look back on our olympic medals with nostalgia - at the rate things are going there won't be many more in the future.....

 

[Lucy_Ally]

According to our work website, possible F&M lesions were found in pigs at an abattoir in Essex although it could be swine vesicular disease (both of which are notifiable). There are livestock movement restrictions around the farm of origin and the abattoir. No confirmation as yet but tests are being carried out.

Coming from Cumbria and remembering the devesation from the last outbreak I sincerely hope that all findings are negative.

 

[sunnylynn]

My yard is actually within the 5 mile radius & DEFRA havent been to us yet - and we have sheep at the yard, DEFRA are aware that we have sheep too, cause even though they are YO's daughters pets, they were still spot checked a while ago.

 

[meandmyself]

Oh dear! Fingers crossed it's a false alarm!

 

[Twiglet]

Just had email from DEFRA - all livestock restrictions are now lifted.