Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence


Memorandum Submitted by Mr John Tuckey MBE, MRCVS (W23)

  1.  At present nothing of any consequence has been done to prevent a new outbreak of FMD occurring tomorrow!

  2.  It is generally accepted that a major source of infection is the illegal importation of meat. In spite of this, a very small percentage (.02%) of hand luggage from countries where FMD is endemic is checked at airports. Cf Australia and New Zealand.

  3.  There was, when I was in Newcastle, a desperate shortage of large animal vets, especially with any experience of FMD. Work at the DECC was being done by vets which could just as easily have been done by lay persons.

  4.  With the present decline in livestock farming in Britain, large animal vets will become fewer. The bringing in of overseas vets is only of any value if: a) they have experience of large animals; and b) they have a reasonable command of the English language. It was quite interesting to hear a Spaniard trying to communicate with a Fell farmer and vice versa!!

  5.  Higher standards of skill and humane behaviour must be instilled into slaughtermen. Some of the incidents I saw were downright cruel.

  6.  A greater use must be made of the knowledge of the local veterinary surgeon, eg the particular farmer's ability, his standard of hygiene and honesty, the position of the farm and the proximity of neighbouring stock. More than an Ordnance Survey map is needed.

  7.  The communication skills and the tact of the veterinary surgeon and his ability to deal with the particularly difficult and unco-operative farmer.

  8.  The IMMEDIATE use of the Army to co-ordinate all actions.

  9.  If possible, each vet to be given a group of farmers to visit. Nothing is worse than a different person appearing at each visit.

  These are some thoughts that I have had since 2001. I am sure they are not original but, if they are of any value to you, please use them.

THOUGHTS OUTSIDE OF FMD

  The decline in farm vets in this area is dramatic. Ten years ago at the most, there were about twelve large animal practices in the area, now there are three, and one of those is finding it difficult to continue. The result of this is that vets will have to travel further to farms, thereby increasing travel costs. Because of the lessening of work, fees will have to go up. Because fees rise farmers will be loathe to call out the vet and will resort to `quack' treatments (or none at all). This will result in a lowering of the health of the national herd and in some cases lower standards of welfare.

  The use of lay persons to do such jobs as Tuberculin testing may be one way out, but the vet during his test visits checks for other diseases, advises on welfare matters, eg housing and feeding and generally aids the farmer. This could not be done by lay persons and even vets brought in from outside would not have the same relationship with the farmer as his own vet, which is a very important consideration. Many of the Government regulations now placed on the farmer DO NEED THE HELP OF THE VET to be complied with.

  Another major problem, and one that could be significant in disease control not only of farm animals but also wild animals, is the problem of fallen stock. The knackerman and the local Hunt were both of vital importance for the collection of such animals. Now this service has gone and the resultant massive cost of disposal, especially of larger animals, will mean many will be buried, burnt or otherwise disposed of on farms. The desperate lack of incineration plants is now a major problem.

  These should be national problems, not party. A failure to overcome them could result in disaster for agriculture and, in certain situations, for the nation as a whole.

  A cutback in the amount of bureaucracy would also help. There is not a strong affinity between farmers and forms (or vets and forms, come to that)!!

25 April 2003



 
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