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Foot and Mouth, an injustice ignored

townie | 31.03.2001 01:08

Thousands of animals are being needlessly slaughtered and burned. Thousands of people are trapped in their homes. Why are people accepting this?

townie
- e-mail: cant_cope@hotmail.com

Comments

Hide the following 13 comments

Wild World Wide

31.03.2001 02:30

www calls on transitionary regime to free all ALF people in prisons .Factory farming is history as are all tories.We are going to move on together in peace and freedom with the help of anarchy.This is the www

Tnode freenet


Senseless

31.03.2001 10:28

If F & M is an airborne virus (as the say) then walking restriction and disinfectant are pretty futile. The military and MAFF are at liberty to rampage around the countryside. I personally, were I in the country, would violate all these these Orwellian measures.

Informer


Double Standards

31.03.2001 21:56

Various people out cycling on roads in the countryside have been harassed by people for spreading foot and mouth. This has been by people overtaking in their cars and most seriously in Cheshire three weeks ago, a woman farmer threatened two male cyclists at gunpoint for cycling on the road by her farm.

CV


Typical

01.04.2001 12:07

This is what they want. Divide and conquer.

Ann Archy


burnt offerings and 'free' trade

04.04.2001 18:50

today in the guardian vandana shiva said what I have been thinking for a while - this cow burning is some sort of animal sacrifice to the gods of global trade... but what nobody seems to be pointing out yet is that if we had actual free trade, i.e. no restrictions of trading in flesh whether or not it has had a disease, then there would not be this mess as a result of foot and mouth. the restrictions imposed on selling affected or vaccinated animals abroad are all because disease is endemic in southern countries, and the eu governments want to be able to exclude southern products, and sell meat to each other exclusively. nice clean meat from white countries. what they can't seem to handle is the idea that western europe should become - and be treated - like anywhere else in the world... with diseases rife and farmers accepting their duty to look after animals, get them through disease, and with an agricultural sector devoted to a little more than protectionism and the profit margin...
since it seems the disease is now endemic especially in sheep, i would agree that we should walk anywhere we like (except possibly in farmyards and herds) and if challenged say 'don't blame me, blame the government for not being devoted nough to free trade.' or i would, only I don't think the people in the rural areas would have the foggiest what i was on about, my mates would think I'd gone over to the other side, and my family would never forgive me for giving us a bad name with the locals... what a mess, eh.

zoe


MAFF - THE CANUTE OF FMD

04.04.2001 20:17

Foot and Mouth Disease was endemic in the UK in the 19th century - it was part of the farming scenery. However, landowners then who wanted to keep their pure-bred stock untainted insisted that FMD be dealt with by eliminating diseased animals, and so it came to pass. The regulation has never been rescinded. It is interesting to note that in the present crisis some farmers with pure/special breeds of animals have also had to sacrifice them this time round. Many people are asking whether animal vaccination would help in the future? Well under normal circumstances I'd say probably a good idea. But under industrial farming conditions, this would be an additional burden for the animal, which in many cases is treated like a pin-cushion; they are given enough unnatural feed, injections (eg BST) and antibiotics, to keep them upright and high-producing in the shortest possible time for lowest cost, and to make them unnaturally fast-growing; according to hooved species they have tails and teeth cut, they're castrated, artificially inseminated, and artificially housed (the media usually portrays the more publicly acceptable methods of farming, not the awful reality). When sent to market, these animals are often traded several times up and down the country - animals are bad travellers, it causes them enormous stress, stress creates conditions ripe for disease to gain a hold. Their treatment at market adds yet more stress. It is no surprise at all that these conditions cause disease to spread rapidly. If animals were left to the disease, it would create immunity for those allowed to live long enough to see the next outbreak. One other thought is for human health: although an FMD animal may be left to get over the disease, and eventually brought to slaughter, how much do we know about any possible mutations the disease might produce these days, which could affect humans eating the animal? An industrially produced animal, as mentioned above, is given a cocktail of drugs and unnatural treatment in a variety of ways - would FMD mutate (as did BSE) to affect humans? If such an industrially farmed overburdened animal were vaccinated, would this not be another mix to the cocktail which could create a danger to the carnivore?

ZoeViva
mail e-mail: zoeviva@carn-age.org.uk
- Homepage: http//www.carn-age.org.uk


let's vote ourselves into government next ele

05.04.2001 17:10

About the general election.
Well, we all know that the general public don't consider the existing three parties as serious contenders for public support. So why don't we just say something decent, campaign to do so and structure a new governmening which would not be bsed around legislatitive instruction, governmental bodies, or mindless authorities? Instead of blaming the government, let's simply change matters. Sounds easier said than done. But maybe not. The difficult work has already been accomplished. The ideas -- which may or may not be decent -- have already been scripted. I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking part in the countryside movement's party candidateship? This is a serious request, and I can prove it. Please go to  http://www.geocities.com/angel_ov_north. Just campaign, raise money for the desposit at the next election, then stand and get publicity and campaign further. Farmers would be good people to ask to fund publicity like leaflets, and then campaign in your constituency before the general election

dave
mail e-mail: dmr104@yahoo.com
- Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/angel_ov_north


Vaccination

06.04.2001 09:32

Bizzarly, MAFF & CO seem to have adopted a Schorched Earth policy. Vaccination could have been innocently used where herds would be unlikely exported - such in wild sheep, city farms, rare breeds and so on. Instead, MAFF has chosen to spoil the countryside for everybody.

Whilst they are killing the same amount of animals that would be usually slaughterd in a normal carinvore week, the bredth and extent of this slaughter is still sickening.

The worst effect: the movement of the election date. Some of you VOTE NOBODY ppl probably don't care, but a Blair government is still miles better than a Hauge one.

Elec 40
mail e-mail: davedeans2001@yahoo.co.uk


really?

07.04.2001 14:10

At least everyone hates the Tories. I'd far rather have a hated govt with riots on the streets every week, than one that people are indifferent to as their rights are stripped away.

Blair is the expert at committing atrocities without upsetting anyone. He is 1000 times more dangerous than Hague.

At least, i think so.

townie
mail e-mail: cant_cope@hotmail.com


Farmers tears are probably genuine.

14.04.2001 10:22

The sight of farmers crying over the loss of their culled animals may seem hypocritical and cynical to many. I suggest that their tears are probably genuine. The farmer is in the business of producing animals for profit. He or she knows fine well that animals produced for meat will be slaughtered. The farmer who raises animals for other purposes such as dairy products or wool will show no hesitation in sending old or unproductive animals to the knackers yard. So why the tears. Until the Foot and Mouth outbreak most farmers have never taken part or watched their animals being slaughtered. The animals are carted into lorries and taken away to the abbitoir to be killed away from the farmers gaze. For the first time in their lives the Farmers are now being forced to witness the mass slaughter of their livestock. They have naturally found it a cruel and upsetting experience. The alianation of people from the food chain by Big Business extends even to Farmers. Most people believe that meat comes from neatly packaged trays found on supermarket shelves. That includes Farmers. They dont go out into the yard and kill a pig to make their sausages. They go down to Tescos and buy frozen bangers in a bag. The foot and mouth outbreak has served one purpose. It is making more people aware that meat is about killing and eating other living animals. Even farmers are starting to become aware about the true consequences of their business.

Kenneth Little.
mail e-mail: KEN@littlek10.freeserve.co.uk
- Homepage: No idea!


ALF

15.04.2001 12:44

Yeah but ALF are terrorists.

Aren't they?


I mean real terrorists, violent ones. They actually
plant bombs. That doesn't sound like peace to me.

Mr S


Genuine Tears

15.04.2001 12:57

A farmer's herd is kind of his life's work.
The herd takes years to build up.

Sure animals are going to the slaughter all the time
but killing all your animals in one go means that you have
to start again from scratch.

And its not just the financial concern.
Farmers, like most people who have half decent jobs,
are emotionally attatched to their work.
Farming isn't just a way of making money, it's their
whole way of life.

Also, what you said about actually witnessing
the killing of animals for the first time
must indeed be rather upsetting as well.

As far as business is concerned, having to slaughter one's
herd would rather ruin one's life.

Farmers are often small business people, it's not as if they're fat cats or anything.

Mr S


After Foot & Mouth Disease What Next??

27.04.2001 04:18

A quiet countryside is being plundered. Innocent animals are being led to a slaughter though healthy due to a disease that is NOT deadly. The land, the soil, itself is considered tainted. The farmers suffer... "UK" suffers.... or is it the corporate investments? this is madness! And for who's well-being? For what good????

It seems that the value for the English countryside is sliding. The safety on cement mentality will see to it that that countryside we enjoy today might someday be history.

Will be end up paving over those hills in the next 10 years?

I live in Southern California. I remember Orange Country when there were orange groves not too long ago. it's now a corporate oasis. Is this the future fate of your countryside? I hope not. I enjoyed my time there last summer. I look forward to coming back and seeing the sheep walking free again.

Miss Hollyday
mail e-mail: MZHOLLYDAY@AOL.COM


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