The only aspect of this FMD epidemic that makes sense is that it does not make sense! There are far more questions than answers out there. We decided to make a quick list of questions that have no obvious answer,

1. When did this outbreak start?
2. Why were railway sleepers and FMD notices ordered in Nov?
3. Were the EU warned to be 'vigilant' in October?
4. How did FMD spread so far so quickly?
5. Were sheep in Scotland and Cumbria found with lesions in December?
6. How did France, Holland, Ireland etc. eliminate FMD so quickly?
7. Why do the NFU oppose vaccination?
8. Why are the media so keen to follow the 'official line'?
9. Why are the Government prepared to spend billions killing healthy animals?
10. Why is the law re; contiguous culling being broken so massively?
11. Is Bobby Waugh to blame?
12. Why are animal rights campaigners silent at this time of massive cruelty?
13. Why are the waters re vaccination so cloudy?
14. Was the FMD virus stolen from Pirbright/Porton Down?
15. Why is Blair so easily swung by the views of the NFU?

That's just a start! We're sure you can think of lots more.

The key question has to be however - Why has a policy of emergency vaccination not been introduced in accordance with international trans-border animal disease guidelines which state "Control of FMD will usually involve intensive national or regional vaccination campaigns using approved vaccines under government control. In exceptional cases the incidence of the disease might be sufficiently low that a slaughter policy might be introduced in the first instance."?

The vast number of our earlier questions are versions of this key question or hints at possible reasons.

The following is from the "THE ARK" (RBST) Aut 2001

"It is not the PM or the Secretary of State who determines what can or cannot be done in terms of policy but Brussels who inform them what it shall be. Thus it was the EU Commission that gave our government the option of the limited vaccination in just those two areas (Cumbria and Devon) and they also gave Holland the authority to ring vaccinate... and demanded that all the vaccinated stock there would be slaughtered anyway. "

The following is from the "Commission Decision of 30 March 2001 laying down the conditions for the control and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom."

which gave the UK permission for:

"Protective vaccination" (which) shall mean emergency vaccination of bovine animals in identified holdings situated in a defined area, (Devon and Cumbria) the "vaccination zone", which is carried out exclusively in conjunction with pre-emptive killing of certain categories of sheep and other animals of susceptible species as defined in paragraph 1. It is aimed at an urgent reduction of the amount of virus circulating and the risk of virus spreading beyond the perimeters of the area, and is subjected to the condition that such vaccinated animals are not subject to pre-emptive killing."

Note vaccination was intended for cattle only, and as we exported only tiny amounts of beef prior to FMD as a result of BSE restrictions the EU took the pragmatic division that the vaccinated stock need not be slaughtered. Also they did NOT demand that meat/milk from vaccinated animals was labeled as such.

HISTORY LESSON

The policy of routine FMD vaccination which had work successfully for years was abandoned in order to make way for the EU single market legislation. Routine vaccination was banned in the EU from 1/1/92. Now only 'emergency vaccination' is allowed and must under EU law be followed by the destruction of the vaccinated stock. However in these exceptional circumstances Blair was given the golden opportunity follow the unique 'PROTECTIVE VACCINATION' path, (He was given the authority to do so in Cumbria and Devon), he would have had 3 major problems:

1. This kind of 'damping -down' vaccination has never been tried in an epidemic situation.

2. There were likely to be extra costs involved in the handling facilities required by the EU document for meat and especially milk, with the risk of a two tier pricing policy from the big wholesalers (i.e Northern Foods and Lord Haskins!)

3. Blair was faced with the opposition of his 'farmers leader' and the possibility (real or imagined) of having to use the Army to force farmers to vaccinate, (He had the power and obligation to do this) on the eve of an election.

The answer? Simple pick a gullible fall guy and blame him. Step forward Mr. Ben Gill Esq. "Do you want to take a leap in the dark with your members interests Mr Gill?'" "Er, No." "Sorted, lets have an election then".

When we take a step back and realize that the people of Britain are now only the people of a province of Europe, we can begin to understand what is really going on out there. Blair is no more than the leader of a parish council, and Gill is no more than a fool who has allowed himself to be bamboozled into becoming a scapegoat.

A Contiguous cull, whilst illegal, was forced into place on the grounds that farmers who bowed to extreme and sustained pressure to have their healthy animals killed were, "Protecting their neighbours" or, "Preventing even more animals being killed in the future." or even "If you don't agree and later get FMD we won't give you any compensation!"

The UK's livestock are being in-humanely killed in enormous numbers and rural businesses destroyed. This is the simple stark reality. We are tilting at windmills if we think that 'emergency vaccination' was ever a possibility.

This may be the answer but what is the SOLUTION ?? In our view we need EU wide routine vaccination ( a tried and tested policy.) as the only solution to the increased risk of FMD in the future as a result of the massive increase in trans-world travel and the ease with which 'exotic meat products' are entering Europe. In our global society we have to accept that we now have global virus movements.