Taken from an email received March 27 2006A Buddhist priest spoke a few words for the animals. Border TV reported at midday today and (hopefully) this evening. The weather was fine although all around it was heavy rain and thick cloud. Two wreaths were laid and a short address given after the two minutes' silence.
"Five years have passed since the appalling slaughter of livestock took place in the UK. In total nearly 11 million animals were killed. Foot & Mouth disease is not a fatal disease: in other parts of the world animals are nursed back to health - except in the most serious cases.
The speaker tells warmwell, " I can tell you, even with a bland piece like the one I have quoted, I had difficulty in getting through it. FMD has cut deeply into most caring people`s psyches.
In the UK the fate of our animals was decided by people without a shred of worthwhile knowledge about animals and without compassion of any sort.
Farm animals, in many cases, are bred for eventuial slaughter but not in the dreadful ways we saw during those awful months. None of the animals deserved to die in that way.
What was worse was the fact that less than 1% were infected with FMD but this fact fell on purposely deaf ears.
We come here today to remember the lost animals and give an assurance that we will not let others suffer a similar fate in the future."There was a grim irony at Gt. Orton during the ceremony. Two huge waste disposal tankers rolled up to the site. This is a daily event to collect the "leachate" from the site for disposal elswhere. Had Defra taken the slightest bit of notice of one of the farmers - a civil engineer and used to digging massive holes in the ground - they would not have the problem which will cost more than £2million per year for the next decade.
Sleep soundly little ones, you are not forgotten."