CHIEF VET'S COMMENTS REINFORCE NEED FOR CAUTION -
NFU
The Chief Veterinary Officer Jim Scudamore was
absolutely right to be so cautious in his predictions about foot and mouth
disease, the NFU said today.
NFU President Ben Gill said: "Jim Scudamore's warning that we are by no
means over the worst shows the importance of the message we have reiterated
time and again - we must hope for the best but assume the worst."
Mr Gill said that the CVO's comments that the crisis is likely to last "a
long time" underlined the reasoning behind the fact that the
desperately-needed movement of animals for welfare purposes must be very
restricted and under the most stringent of conditions.
He said: "As farmers, we have to take the advice of the MAFF vets about
the potential spread of the disease.
"Farmers must understand the importance of reporting any unusual symptoms
at all.
"Sheep farmers must be particularly careful when checking their animals as
the disease does not show itself as easily in the sheep population.
"They should look for any suspicious signs, particularly unexplained and
sudden high mortality rates among otherwise healthy new-born lambs.
"We would also appeal to anyone who bought sheep in the last three weeks
at Longtown market - which seems to be a focal point of tracing the disease -
or any other of the affected markets to be extremely vigilant in the coming
days."
Mr Gill also reminded farmers of the need for scrupulously clean lorries for
the transport of any livestock that have been permitted to move to
slaughter.
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