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with pits dug, often in very inappropriate places; with culls often carried out inhumanely and incorrectly and in some cases, in front of children and the general public, it is no surprise that we all thought we were living in Hell!

                    We consider ourselves a Nation of animal lovers, a civilised society, advanced in both science and technology. These ideals  went up in  the smoke from the pyres and the mistakes were buried alongside the dead animals.

                    When vets were agreeing to destroy healthy animals and slaughtermen were leaving half-dead animals to suffer, vaccination was dismissed as was the advice from all the World Experts on FMD. Then add to this the fact that the farmers were being threatened and bullied into having their healthy stock destroyed.

                    This barbaric, inhumane and discredited evil method of dealing with FMD should NEVER be used again. It has been proved to be so wrong and moreso when you see how poorer countries deal with the same disease. No wonder the rest of the world see us now as a nation so wealthy and uncaring that we can waste billions of pounds killing healthy livestock without a shred of good scientific reason.

                    Our so-called “Leaders” have treated law-abiding citizens with utter contempt, without consideration for any basic human rights. They have inflicted irreparable damage to the Environment.

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                        Suppressive vaccination would have cost comparatively little when set against not just the current costs but those costs which will go on into the future. In human terms the benefits would have been immeasurable with normality returning to the Nation in less than a month. Even the British Museum would have been spared from 5% losses!

                    Farmers and Tourist businesses alike wanted vaccination but tragically the NFU, whose representation of farmers is only 35% and far less in the worst hit areas of the epidemic, were misled by Government and sadly, only the NFU officials voices were listened to, not those of their ordinary members and farmers who were not NFU members.

                    These misguided policies have divided communities almost as effectively as sectarian divides in other parts of the World. There are the “Have`s” and the “Have not`s” Those who kept their stock and those who did not. It has set neighbour against neighbour, families against families.

                    We must surely re-introduce the EU policy of blanket vaccination which up until 1991 kept F&M at bay. With the greater movement of people and the exchange of trade throughout the world and with no border restrictions in the EU and further Eastern European countries joining the EU in 2004 this has to be the only way forward.

                    We are left with huge losses of wonderful livestock, many people suffering huge financial losses and struggling under mountains of bureaucracy; restrictions in farming with extra costs. Tourism trying to recover with even more losses as a result of September 11^th.  family life under stress and untold damage to the environment.

SUZANNE GREENHILL  12 PARKSIDE AVENUE

COCKERMOUTH CA130DR

SUBMISSION TO THE CUMBRIA COUNTY COUNCIL

FOOT & MOUTH INQUIRY

EXEMPTION FOR HEFTED  SHEEP & RARE BREEDS

There was an exemption published on 4^th. May by MAFF. It was too late, unworkable and in reality, never adhered to by MAFF.

On 26^th. May, Nick Brown stated to Parliament that “special circumstances to be provided for rare breeds of sheep and of moorland & hefted flocks based on bio-security and testing”. But on the same day, despite endless protests to Brown, Blair, Morley and Ross Finnie in Scotland, 1,000 English Herdwick sheep overwintering on the Scottish Borders were shot although blood tests had proved negative.

HEFTED  & RARE  SHEEP BREEDS

                        A  LACK OF KNOWLEDGE BY MAFF & MINISTERS

The system of farming hefted sheep was a complete mystery to all at MAFF & for Ministers. I had to send a paper on the subject to Page Street and more copies were sent at each change of personnel.

INFORMATION TO FARMERS

The lack of useful information to farmers was a disgrace. MAFF/DEFRA put some information on their website, often late, difficult to find and only possible if you had access to pc. Carlisle HQ had insufficient phone lines, was often unable to answer questions as every decision had to come from Page Street leading to lengthy delays.

Even when Page Street were warned well in advance of issues such as welfare problems, tupping and shearing,  delays were unacceptably long, frequently as the policy issued was unworkable and had to be re-written.

BLOOD TESTING

Completely inadequate provisions for blood testing because of too few staff and lack of facilities at Pirbright (only 400 tests per week available at the start) Also delays for results and refusal to allow the use of private laboratories.

LOSSES

Many young sheep (hoggs & shearlings) from quality, irreplaceable flocks, were unnecessarily killed on overwintering grounds when it would have been feasible to move them safely to the high pastures back on the Cumbrian Fells.

Vast areas of the Pennines are now bereft of  hefted sheep from  North of Manchester to the Alston area of Cumbria. Only the Howgills have the remnants of  Rough Fell sheep left. The local economy depends to a very large extent on these environmentally-friendly flocks to create the landscape so necessary for tourism and allied businesses.

CUMBRIAN SHEEP & LAMB LOSSES:                       1,087,405

43% OF THE CUMBRIAN SHEEP FLOCK HAS BEEN KILLED

20% OF THE NATIONAL SHEEP FLOCK HAS BEEN KILLED

BREED LOSSES

SWALEDALES  65%

HERDWICKS 40%

ROUGH FELLS 40%

N. COUNTRY BLACK-FACE 20-30%

HILL CHEVIOTS 33%

ONLY 3 IN EVERY 10,000 ANIMALS

BLOOD-TESTED PROVED POSITIVE

FOR FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE.