foot and mouth disease interview (PDF) - Royal Geographical Society

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Ask the Experts The feeding of untreated swill to pigs; A delay in diagnosis of infected pigs; The infection of sheep by a virus plume; The undetected disease in sheep for weeks; and Large numbers of sheep movements. The first case of FMD was detected at Cheale Meats abattoir in Little Warley, Essex on pigs from Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight. Over the next four days, several more cases were recorded in Essex. On 23 February 2001, a case was confirmed in Heddon-on-the- Wall, Northumberland, from where the pig in the first case had come from; this farm was later confirmed as the source of the outbreak. In the weeks and months that followed cases were confirmed across the country. The map below shows the location of premises infected by FMD. Cumbria was the worst affected area of the country, with 843 recorded cases. The rapid geographical spread of the disease highlighted two changes in farming practices. Firstly, the delay in detecting the outbreak in Northumberland and the considerable movement of animals that occurred in the three week intervening period – 2 million sheep were moved around the country during this time with some animals being bought and resold though markets in different regions of the UK over very short time periods. Secondly, it highlighted the centralisation of animal slaughtering and processing which involved animals travelling long distances to a small number of large abattoirs determined by major supermarkets
Ask the Experts rather than being taken to a local abattoir. Interestingly, the 2007 outbreak was caused by a completely different combination of factors. Then, the virus escaped from the government funded ‘Institute of Animal Health’ (IAH) and pharmaceutical company ‘Merial’ laboratories in Pirbright. The virus entered the drainage system which combined with heavy rain, building work and vehicles moving to and from the site led it to spread and infect animals on nearby farms. 3. What were the immediate effects of the disease on different sectors of the rural economy? When the first case of FMD was detected in 2001 the Government introduced a range of measures to control and eradicate the disease. These measures included: A ban on meat and live animal exports; Restrictions on the movement of animals (including a total ban on livestock movement for ten days); and Granting additional powers to local authorities to close public rights of way. Farmers with animals thought to be infected had their livestock compulsory slaughtered. Farms in infected areas (but where animals did not get infected with the virus) were subject to tight restrictions preventing their movement off the farm. There was also a large drop in demand for farming support services, particularly haulage. All livestock markets were also closed. As a result of the additional powers granted to local authorities to close footpaths, and indeed the closure of almost all footpaths at the start of the outbreak; many visitors and tourists thought that Britain’s countryside was “closed for business”. The drop in visitor numbers reduced trade for a wide range of rural businesses, including hotels, pubs and shops. Losses extended to other industries besides farming and tourism, many located outside rural areas. These included suppliers to those industries, such as livestock hauliers and makers of farm machinery; activities dependent on countryside access, such as fishing, shooting and the horse business; suppliers to countryside users, such as makers of outdoor clothing, hirers of marquees, cycle manufacturers and guidebook publishers; and activities dependent on overseas visitors such as theatres and language schools. Some little-known businesses suffered heavy losses - for example, the maggot-rearing industry! Collectively, the FMD outbreak of 2001 cost the UK £8 billion. Although much of the countryside remained open for business during the 2007 outbreak, the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) estimated the financial costs of the outbreak to be in excess of £302 million on the agriculture and tourism industries alone. Importantly, these immediate effects demonstrate how farming is interdependent and intertwined with the wider rural (and urban) economy.
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foot and mouth disease interview (PDF) - Royal Geographical Society

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