Foot and Mouth - Horseriding Restrictions outside the infected area

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PeterNatt

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I think we all should look at this site

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/rural/horses.htm

The part that seems more relavant is:

General requirements
This section is aimed at people with horses kept outside a Protection or
Surveillance Zone. There are few restrictions affecting people with horses
outside these zones. However, the following do apply:

You must not organise or take part in hunting a drag or other trail
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/rural/horses.htm#3

This is also on the same page:

If you do not observe these requirements, you may commit an offence, and the
local authority may take enforcement action against you. In each case, a
footnote shows which provision of the Order creates the offence.

Doesn't look good
 
There is a bit about if you keep your horse on the same premises as cattle you shouldn't move your horse, even to see a vet
crazy.gif
is that in the protection or surveillance zones or everywhere?
confused.gif
 
Gosh, its all a bit scary. My horse wasn't in work during the last outbreak and I was away at Uni, so not sure how it will affect us if the restrctions get tighter again. We are on a yard with no cows or anything, in fact there aren't even any anywhere close by. I guess hacking on roads only comes in eventually, did all events anywhere get cancelled last time?
 
the movement restriction also states that no dung or manure can be shifted inside the zones - so no muck heap moving

there is now a report in both the times and telegraph this morning that the Egham Royal show was held and parking on the fields with the first affected farm at Egham 2 weeks ago.

5000+ cars andpeople attended - this means that the virus could have been spread to a much wider area from Egham than the zones imposed atm

If you know of anyone that went to Egham Royal with horsebox or car and there are cloved hoofed livestock in their area then please warn them and also be careful of riding near or over any such farmland in case of spreading this terrible disease

if only this gov. would vaccinate.....................

how can the chief vet (who swore an oath on becoming a vet to support animal welfare) sit in an interview on TV last night and state that DEFRA have had to cull "a few pigs" on a neighbouroing farm to the first one ................a few pigs are actually 800 pigs and the farmer concerned is about 77 years old. He's unlikely to recover from this body blow.

If the first outbreak had done perimeter vaccination then we wouldn't be in this mess today. The vaccination teams were there but were stood down after 2 weeks.
 
Excuse me for ignorance, but what is their arguement for NOT vaccinating? To a non-vet like me it seems obvious that they should, or are they unreliable or something?
 
according to farming statistics the non-vaccination in 2001

cost to country of FMD in 2001 = £2 billion

cost of lost exports of meat abroad if animals had been vaccinated would have been for 1 year only and been £300 million

so the excuse of 'lost exports' is pretty pathetic when you look at the actual figures
 
It is suspected that the governement put pressure on the governments chief vet to ease restrictions far too early. The result is that the virus was still active and is possibly now spreading further afield. A tragedy for the farmers who have spent years if not generations creating long lines of breeding stock.

Unfortunately the present government fails to understand or have any in depth knowledge of country matters.
 
at least one of the two farmers affected at the moment has already said that he will not restock

so yet more imported meat for Tesco et al instead of a higher quality product produced to higher welfare conditions from British farmers.
 
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