Tues 6 March

Foot and mouth: a summer at stake

John Sheard looks at the long-term implications of the latest livestock scourge

ALTHOUGH the nation's television screens have been full every night of gruesome pictures of slaughtered livestock being craned onto funeral pyres, few members of the general public - and even some farmers - are yet aware of the full implications of the potential for disaster unless the outbreak is quickly brought under control.

What is at stake is not only huge distress for already battered farmers and Britain's international standing as a prime livestock producer but the whole of the coming summer for hundreds of thousands of urban folk who use the countryside for leisure: walkers, fishermen, climbers, campers - and even people walking their dogs. For if the last outbreak in 1967 is anything to go by - and there are factors like long distance animal movements today which could make matters even worse - the restrictions on movements in rural areas could last until the autumn: a whole summer wiped out for thousands of businesses which rely on visitors for their trade.

Picture courtesy of the Yorkshire Dales National Park

One farmer who remembers the 1960s outbreak told me: "That lasted for eight months. It was not only a disaster for the farmers but it hit dozens of businesses in my locality: pubs, hotels, restaurants, transport companies, auction marts, landowners who let their fishing or shooting rights. I just hope that the Government realises just how serious this situation is."

So far, the reaction of the general public has been commendable. At the beginning of March, three North Country national parks, the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and the North Yorks Moors closed down thousands of miles of public rights of way and appealed for the public to stay away.

The response was superb, despite the fact the cold, crisp sunny weekend weather of March 4/5 was ideal for walking. All three parks thanked the public for staying away and Lake District officials noted an "eerie quiet in the countryside." But not everyone was aware of just how tight the new restrictions are: North York Moors officials issued a separate warning to dog owners in local towns and villages saying that their pets should be exercised only on tarmac or pavement. Said chief executive Andy Wilson: "The National Park Authority realises that this could be a temporary inconvenience to a significant number of local people but the message is clear - keep your dog on a lead and away from farmland and moorland of any kind."

However, there could be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Some experts believe that foot and mouth reaches its contagious peak in very cold weather and, indeed, the present outbreak coincided with a bitterly cold snap. With the Met.Office promising milder weather on the way - and spring officially due on March 21 - our strange climate might actually prove a bonus.

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