Hi,everyone from a cold & wet Ireland.Boy, am I glad we are back to a greenspun format as I just couldn't get on with EZBoard & haven't even been bothering to lurk.Life has somehow been incomplete without you all!

I know that there aren't too many people from the Irish/Brit side of the Pond so here is an update on life with Foot & Mouth Disease.

First of all what is it ? It's a virus that causes all cloven hoof animals(think cows,pigs,cattle,sheep) to go lame & develop lesions in the mouth and tongue.Apparently not always lethal but leaves the animal in a very bad condition.It apparently cannot be transmitted to humans.(When have we heard that one before?)The virus can spread on the wind and on clothes,other animals such as rats and hedgehogs.

It is widespread in Africa South America & Asia.The virus mutates so immunisation does not provide long term protection.Most European Countries have dealt with previous outbreaks by slaughtering affected animals & quarentining the area until the incubation period for fresh cases has passed.

Just over a month ago,a slovenly farmer in the North of England fed his pigs some pigswill which contained meat from an animal that had been suffering from F&M. (eg Think of an uneaten beef sandwich brought in on a plane from Asia which found its way into the waste food supply aka pigswill)

When he sent his pigs to be slaughtered some 200 miles away they were discovered to have F & M.Since then the disease has spread rapidly through most parts of England. There was something like 557 cases yesterday.

The Brit Dept of Agriculture instituted the slaughter and quarentine policy but so far it hasn't worked.The disposal of carcases has been by burning & you may have seen some of the pictures.However,they cannot dispose of the carcases quickly enough so there are piles of dead,decomposing animals all over the place.These are now being attacked by crows,rats etc who of course can spread the disease to other farms.Two days ago the Brit army was called in to provide mass burial grounds.

Since the virus can be spread on clothes & vehicles as well as the air,the public footpaths,National Parks etc have been closed.However the Gov has been telling people it is fine to go into the countryside..just don't go onto farms or near animals.This is bloody stupid.Farmers are committing suicide. Tony Blair seem hellbent on holding the General Election (ie vote for which Political Party to be in Government) in May.

Because animals are traded freely across borders in Europe there have been cases in France,Belgium & Holland too.One case in Northern Ireland and one just a couple of miles away over the border in Ireland proper.

The Irish Government, unlike the Brit Gov., really got their act together very quickly and announced that Ireland would be known as Fortress Ireland for the duration.All meetings which bring people together have been banned or the organisers have been requested to postpone.Examples are sports matches,race meetings,club meetings,conferences both at local,regional and national levels.All farms have disinfectant mats at the entrances as do all the shops.People have been requested not to travel abroad,particularly to the UK and not to go into the Irish countryside.Meat is getting short in the butchers's shops.All exports of animals and meat & dairy products have been prohibited and most imports of meat/dairy stuff also banned.The entry points at Ports,Airports and road border crossings with Northern Ireland now have Police Search points and disinfectant sprays and mats.

The Utility companies have stopped doing meter readings,new installations and essential maintenance in rural areas.(60% of Ireland) We have been hit with both water & power disruptions this past couple of weeks.My husband cannot go fishing either lake or shore until further notice. How long will it go on for?Nobody knows. August seems to be favourite at the moment.How many animals will be killed in the UK alone..think millions.Think half the total livestock population.

Imagine what it would be like in the US.

So,if you are planning to come to England or Ireland this summer,forget it.Until this is over fear is stalking the land and the smoke hangs like a pall over everything.

One last thing,if you are having anybody coming to visit from the Uk just persuade them to postpone.Who knows what they could bring in with them on their clothes !

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Answers

Response to Stuck by a bog & nowhere to go

You know, I was reading an article where someone was suggesting the use of napalm to burn the slaughtered animals, much quicker and easier than the current method.

Seems like such a simple solution to the disposal problem, wonder why it's being ignored?

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Response to Stuck by a bog & nowhere to go

Ah, found it...

Napalm

Funeral pyre Researchers suggest a radical disposal method for UK farm animals slaughtered due to foot and mouth disease - napalm

Exclusive from New Scientist magazine

As the carcasses of slaughtered animals pile up on British farms, American researchers have suggested a radical solution - napalm.

They say it would be a faster, cheaper and more efficient way of disposing of animals than the pyres now burning in fields across the country.

Up to 60,000 animals have been left to rot in fields and barns, after slaughter to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease. Farmers are waiting as long as 10 days for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) to dispose of the carcasses. With Britain now planning to slaughter 500,000 healthy animals within a three- kilometre radius of infected farms, the problem is set to become much worse.

Fast fire

Faced with a similar task during an outbreak of anthrax in Reno, Nevada, in August last year, Ron Anderson of the Nevada Department of Agriculture came up with the idea of using napalm.

His experiments show that napalm, a mixture of polystyrene and an adhesive mixed with diesel or petrol, can destroy a carcass in just 60 minutes. In contrast, burning animals on a pyre of wood takes three days.

The napalm is simply sprayed onto the animal carcasses and set alight. Napalm-fuelled flame throwers can be used to boost the flames if required.

Napalm sounds dangerous, but it is actually relatively easy and safe to use, and probably safer than either petrol or diesel alone, says Martin Hugh-Jones at the School of Veterinary Medicine in Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. "Napalm does not vaporise easily and so does not produce dangerous fumes," he says. "Nor does it produce any dangerous by-products as a result of burning."

Cost effective

It's cheap, too. Whereas pyres can cost up to £1400 per carcass, Anderson estimates that a carcass can be destroyed for just a couple of pounds using napalm. "We are talking pennies," he says, once the investment has been made in the equipment.

What's more, it takes only two people to operate the napalm system. The equipment is light and portable and can easily be transported from farm to farm. There would be no need to transport the lorry- loads of timber and old tyres needed to build a pyre.

However, a spokeswoman for MAFF says it has no plans to use napalm. "It is not an option that has been looked at so far," she says. "There are likely to be safety concerns that we would need to look at first, and we would need to have a lot of discussion about the risks."

The tally of foot and mouth cases has already exceeded 400 and the outbreak shows no sign of abating.

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Response to Stuck by a bog & nowhere to go

Welcome home, Chris. We have missed you! Thanks for the update on FMD. Its always good to get the info from the trenches. I cannot but wonder about what other diseases are going to start appearing with all the rotting flesh about? Cholera, typhoid, plague? It is indeed a night mare and I feel stongly that it will be upon our shores within a very short time. Thousands of Europeans come to Florida this time of year. So many charter flights that we have a separate airport just north of Orlando for them. I have seen the "disinfecting" that is going on. What about all the clothes in the suit cases, stuff in purses, etc. I feel that soon borders will be basically closed. That or you will arrive home in a paper set of coveralls that were given to you at airport while every bit of your belongings were burned. We grieve for the farmers, but it is an economic disaster for everyone. Thanks again and please keep us up to date from you geographical point in the world. Hugs Taz PS: Chris and I had a lovely trip planned touring UK and Ireland this summer and something told me several months ago to cancel it. Thank God I did. Hopefully Chris will be coming over here this fall if they are allowed out of "Fortress Ireland".

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Response to Stuck by a bog & nowhere to go

Chris, ditto, good to see you, thanks for the firsthand update.

Stories on the news this weekend that there have been lots of air cancellations because of F&MD. However, I don't think Americans care all that much what germs they move around by visiting Britain, rather they probably think they are personally at risk. Oh well, whatever gets them to sit still for a while.

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Response to Stuck by a bog & nowhere to go

Just about anything that will consume a dead cow asap in raging fire sounds good just now !We noticed that the Irish news this evening has changed the disinfectant proceedure.First you have to remove all organic matter from your footwear then immerse for at least a minute in disinfectant solution.Upto today all it was rcommended was a quick dip with the boots.So things are getting tighter.

There is now a 6km exclusion/slaughtering zone around the two border outbreaks.I forgot to say that no animals can be moved not even within the farm.This is hitting the cattle farmers hard as most cattle are due out in the fields now.Calving is in full swing and farmers are rapidly running out of space and feed so even amongst healthy animals there is developing a animal welfare problem.The farmer up the road has 28 breeding bulls he cannot sell & is rapidly running out of space with only half of the calves expected this spring actually born.

Oh,yes,you cannot walk your dog in the country side but must keep to roads & have the dog on a lead at all times.

The fact that the virus can be windblown means it can get into clothes & hair etc so maybe disposable clothing and a compulsory trip to the Heathrow Laundry may come in yet for all USA bound travellers !!

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001