Since then, (writing on 7th September) there have been more than another 2,711 farms destroyed (a total now of 9,323) with more than another 1,687,000 cattle, sheep, pigs and goats killed (the number of lambs, calves and piglets is not recorded). Well over 10% of the livestock farms in this country. Well over 4,000,000 animals killed, not counting those on the welfare scheme (what a misnomer) or the young ones.
Check www.warmwell.com for up to date
FMD information.
My brother Chris has made me some posters. Download them, copy them, design your own. Adapt them as car stickers. Also on his page are very good links.
I have just moved all my other links on foot-and-mouth
to a separate page.
Lucy Wilson, age 14, is the daughter of friends who farm a few miles away.
Here is her poem.
Cathy is a sheep farmer with a prize winning flock of pedigree Lleyn sheep
in South Devon. She has been sending me wonderfuly heartening emails, full
of hope and faith and stories of her animals. Click here
to read them.
"FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH, ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING."
24th October
I hope anyone looking at this site hasn't assumed that Foot and Mouth has stopped. Since I last put figures up, more than 200 farms have lost their stock. Farming is in an even worse crisis, with huge problems for farmers who have had no compensation at all for loss of business and with no relief in sight. I have been busy trying to get on with things and hoping everyone is looking at www.warmwell.com for information.
The Foot and Mouth - Full Public Enquiry March.
On Saturday 27th October there will be a march in
Gloucester to demand a full public enquiry in to the
government’s handling of Foot and Mouth. Please meet
at 12:30 pm. at the ASDA or B&Q car park. Turn off at
junction 11 to Gloucester, turn right on A417 Over
Causeway, left ring road St Oswalds Rd leads to Priory
road, then Gouda Way into Black Dog Way into Brutom
all part of ring road. Just past the station there is
a sign to ‘the superstore’ and ‘Metzs Way’. There is
a pedestrian access via B&Q to The Park. Here there
will be speakers and music from Seize the Day.
Gloucester is central and will provide an opportunity
to meet others from around the country; until now just
a voice on the end of a telephone.
Important: ASDA have announced they'd have us clamped if we park in their
car park.
If you park there buy something from them or preferably B&Q and leave
it on
the front seat of your car, OR arrive earlier and leave cars in one of the
many NCP car parks.
There is a pedestrian access via B&Q to The Park.
At 2:30 p.m. we will march on the local government
Building, Shire Hall in the town centre (DEFRA’s
building is sadly too far away).
Please bring banners drums, etc. to lend to a
colourful yet hard hitting and powerful day of
non-violent direct action.
We MUST all stick together and fight the appalling
Welfare Cull which threatens to far outweigh the FMD
crisis.
Our demand is simple. We want a full enquiry before we
are all wiped out by large faceless conglomerates who
are rapidly claiming our land and heritage.
We will then march back to the ASDA car park (approx.
3.30) where locally grown produce will be displayed on
stalls, and copies of the leaflet below handed out.
Please, please email and tell everyone you can to get
them to this vital march.
The March on the 20th was cancelled because of world events. More about that when I have time. I am just about to go and visit our daughter who had a baby boy last Saturday, and we are now grandparents!
7th September
Go to this link and buy some light lamb. It should be really tasty if it's mountain lamb, and otherwise it will just be tipped into landfill sites. What a waste.
There will be a peaceful demonstration in London on the 20th October, demanding a full and open Public Enquiry into FMD. Be at Hyde Park Corner at 1 pm. Details on www.warmwell.com
Foot and Mouth is still devastating farms in the North, and the effects of it are devestating farms all over the country. The Minister in charge of DEFRA, Margaret Becket, has spent the last month out of the country in her caravan in France (apart from a very brief return to tell us there will not be a Public Enquiry). Tony Blair, who promised that he would not rest until FMD was cleared up, and who proclaimed himself to be taking overall responsibility for stamping it out, made a brief trip to Cornwall, staying only 4 or 5 nights, squeezed in between several weeks holiday in Mexico and France. Meanwhile the demands made on farmers as to 'bio-security' are impossible to live with and contradict the messages being sent out to everyone on holiday in the countryside. We are lucky in that we do not need to take a tractor out on the road very often. We can therefore afford the extra hour of pressure washing and disinfecting. Farmers who have to use the roads several times a day could afford neither the time nor the disinfectant. Impossible demands are made on them and they can then be blamed if infection spreads.
Andrew the bull and Primrose
We are also lucky in that we do not need to sell animals off the farm at the moment. It is possible to sell stock straight to the abbattoir, and indeed, animals are coming down to our local abbatoirs from farms next door to contiguous farms in Cumbria. Sending animals those distances is wrong at the best of times, but now it is crazy as well. Selling breeding animals is more difficult. I won't go into details today, but the regulations make it very, very expensive. And then not many people are buying. Most farmers who lost their stock are waiting till the spring before restocking, sensibly. I was speaking to one famer last night who has 23 bulling heifers which would have been easy to sell in any other year (lovely South devons). Instead, they have to face both the loss of income and the extra expense of carrying them through the winter. We are keeping 5 heifers we would have otherwise sold, but fortunately we bought an extra 16 acres in January and have plenty of fodder. (Straw will be more difficult).
I started writing this evening just to say that I won't be writing anymore till the end of the month. We are going to have a holiday!!!! We haven't had more than 3 nights off for 5 years. I will, I hope, be feeling more energetic and well when we get back, and will come back to writing this. Check this page out again on about the 25th September (to give me time!)
In many ways I'm reluctant to go, but I know it will do us good. Everything is looking beautiful, and the apples and blackberries are really good this year.
12th August
I will update with lots of photos at the weekend (18th and 19). Life has been busy and tiring, with a lot going on.
Now it's Sunday night and I'd forgotten there'd be no time this weekend.
Here is a picture of where we were on Thursday. I'll be putting details up later.
8th August
Number of affected premises at 17:00 7 August
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 9,024.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 7 August
· 3,719,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,701,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (576,000 cattle, 2,977,000
sheep, 139,000 pigs, 2,000 goats, 1,000 deer, 6,000 other animals slaughtered)
· 18,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
I am feeling very guilty about these pages. I shouldn't miss a single day or I never catch up. For all the FMD information do go to www.warmwell.com . Mary Critchley is doing a wonderful job from her home in France with keeping all the latest information on-line.
I've been going to bed in good time as I've had a sore throat for 2 weeks and it's sapping my energy a bit. I haven't been feeling very well, but I think it's just that we need a break. The news doesn't help. It's horrific in the Brecon Beacons, the unnecesary slaughter. Cumbria and Yorkshire are still suffering too.
4th August
Number of affected premises at 17:00 3 August
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 9,006*.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 3 August
· 3,693,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,656,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (573,000 cattle, 2,941,000
sheep, 138,000 pigs, 4,000 goats) and
· 38,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
Bill has come back for a month. We should be able to get on top of a few jobs that have got behind now that we have him and Will to lend a hand.
3rd August
Number of affected premises at 17:00 2 August
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 8,988*.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 2 August
· 3,680,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,647,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (572,000 cattle, 2,934,000
sheep, 138,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 33,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
2nd August
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due
to be slaughtered is currently 8,959*.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 1 August
3,666,000 animals identified for slaughter.
· 3,634,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (570,000 cattle, 2,923,000
sheep, 139,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
· 32,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
1st August
Number of affected premises at 17:00 31 July
The number of premises recorded on which animals have been or are due to be
slaughtered is currently 8,949*.
Slaughter and disposal numbers at 17:00 31 July
3,661,000 animals identified for slaughter.
3,630,000 animals recorded as slaughtered (570,000 cattle, 2,919,000 sheep,
139,000 pigs, 2,000 goats) and
30,000* animals awaiting slaughter.
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To pages starting 1st August (Not much here).
To Links page with more information on Foot and Mouth issues.