Foot and mouth (comment and pics) (1)
Dan Anchorman | 01.04.2001 19:04
This poor animal is on her way to being slaughtered - she isn't actually infected but lives within an area deemed to be contagious. So, what would have happened if she had F&M? She would have taken a few weeks to recover from what vets describe as "animal flu" and that's the end of it.
BBC radio 4 recently stated that the main animals directly effected by the illness are pigs - they have a 5% fatality rate and this is the worst rate among all livestock.
The two key factors poutlined for the mass killing were that fact that allowing animals to convelesce would make the animals "economically unproductive" while also removing the UK's current 'disease free' status (try telling someone with CJD that).
Yes, apparently the UK has a massive live stud export industry with pigs being one of the most lucrative breeding animals for export.
What has been interestingly absent from every layer of debate - with the exception of a few columnists in some of the more 'enlightened' broadsheets - has been the failure to look at what role industrialisation of agriculture has played in all this.
Localised production, sales and consumption of farm-produce makes sense at various levels and allows disease to be isolated more effectively and quickly. But ... are we really going to get organic, localised, open-minded farming methods while big corporations run the show? Not likely! Revolution may be a solution.
Peace, y'all
BBC radio 4 recently stated that the main animals directly effected by the illness are pigs - they have a 5% fatality rate and this is the worst rate among all livestock.
The two key factors poutlined for the mass killing were that fact that allowing animals to convelesce would make the animals "economically unproductive" while also removing the UK's current 'disease free' status (try telling someone with CJD that).
Yes, apparently the UK has a massive live stud export industry with pigs being one of the most lucrative breeding animals for export.
What has been interestingly absent from every layer of debate - with the exception of a few columnists in some of the more 'enlightened' broadsheets - has been the failure to look at what role industrialisation of agriculture has played in all this.
Localised production, sales and consumption of farm-produce makes sense at various levels and allows disease to be isolated more effectively and quickly. But ... are we really going to get organic, localised, open-minded farming methods while big corporations run the show? Not likely! Revolution may be a solution.
Peace, y'all
Dan Anchorman
Comments
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Satan's litttle helpers
02.04.2001 11:56
Dan Rathernot
I don't get it
02.04.2001 15:12
but even so i would have thought at least one animal lib movement might have bothered to look in a vetinary dictionary to discover the disease is no plague, its comparable to flu in animals and only produces a mild infection in humans. (its transmitted through milk btw, which i notice hasn't been banned. it cannot be transmitted through meat, according to MAFFs own scientific studies)
Although the govt. are saying this is a new strain, never seen before (except by secret military scientists i suppose)
and is from asia. Naturally the disease wasn't caught from globetrotting UK sheep regularly mingling with asian sheep.
No, apparently a chinese restuarant gave some infected leftovers to some pigs in pigswill. since the govt. are always right, they naturally didn't think it would be the slops from the local army base, who happened also to be giving leftovers to the same farmer. and the fact that the meat was from argentina where they have got, oh, what a surprise, foot and mouth.
a lot of this could be as much hearsay and rumour as the govts own line, but ultimately it boils down to 2 things
either: this is a total overreaction, through nievety or stupidity
or: our animals have picked up a *really* bad virus probably linked to the fact they've been to more countries than the average british holidaymaker
either way, the whole thing stinks.
townie
e-mail: cant_cope@hotmail.com
to 'townie' (really!)
02.04.2001 17:55
Vince Eremos
Kenyan herders protest slaughter
02.04.2001 23:07
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/footandmouth
which does have some reactionary elements
http://www.sheepdrove.com/fam.htm
And I found this really interesting:
http://asia.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/africa/03/23/kenya.foot.and.mouth.ap/
AC
Homepage: http://asia.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/africa/03/23/kenya.foot.and.mouth.ap/
FMD & ANIMAL RIGHTS
05.04.2001 21:03
ARs have demonstrated time and time again outside the NFU & MAFF for years against intensive farming, slaughterhouse procecure, and live animal export. Outside MAFF there has been an AR vigil every single week for at least 3 years.
ZoeViva
e-mail: zoeviva@carn-age.org.uk
Homepage: http://www.carn-age.org.uk