Jiglu: Farmtalking: Discussion: RE: Gill Claims Vaccination Victory

Originally from: David

I suppose from a business point of view, Ben Gill is right with the attitude of cull like hell, get the compensation and get back to normal. What would have happened to all the finished animals had they been vaccinated and no one would buy them?? There would have been a continuation of the Government's Livestock Welfare for Disposal Scheme (LWDS) and the animals would have been culled, buried or incinerated and incineration uses a lot of N. Sea gas, which does not help if you are trying to comply with the Kyoto agreement on CO2 emissions.

FMD is a trade tool used by countries that have not got it to ward off competition from countries that have got it or who vaccinate. We (the EU) can now claim the high and mighty by declaring that we are once again free of the "dreaded" disease – until the next time.

David

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Sent: Friday, April 05, 2002 4:13 PM
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Subject: [farmtalking] Gill Claims Vaccination Victory
On the front page of today's FG is a picture of Ben Gill looking as gormless as ever!
By Allistair Driver
BEN GILL, president of the National Farmers' Union, has defended his controversial role in preventing animals being vaccinated against foot and mouth disease, ahead of his appearance at the European Parliament's inquiry into the crisis.
Mr.Gill, who will give evidence in Strabourg, on Monday, claims he won a major victory for famers by changing the Government's mind about vaccination.
The controversy over the subject has refused to die down a year on from when it split the farming community down the middle and evidence now being given to the various foot-and-mouth inquiries in bringing it to the fore again.
Mr. Gill had been villified for his role inj the saga in some sections of the
media and by pro-vaccination campaigners who believed he was not represting the views of most farmers.
But the told FG how now feels totally vidicated. "There was a strong lobby last year for vaccination principally from green groups, led by the Soil Association. We won the argument and have been proved corect. The disease was eradicated by the cull and we were then in a position to re-establish our
industry far earlier than anyone thought possible" he said.
"Nobody in their wildest dreams, even in August, thought we would have been allowed back into the sheep export markets in 2001. That had immediate effect on the sheep market price but if we had vaccinated we would have been looking at at least another 12 months."
He said vaccination would have created a two-tier market in the UK as retailers would have labelled vaccinated products. There are also unanswered
questions about the effectiveness of the policy on disease control.
TONY BLAIR was ready to order vccination of cattle in Cumbria and Devon last Easter, in mid April. Mr. Gill said he had a private metting at the time with the Prime Minister, who promptly changed his mind.
Mr. Gill said the cull policy was right in principle given that the unavailabilty of a proper effective vaccination of policy meant there was no alternative. The cull was not sufficiently targeted at the farms most at risk but there was a lot of myth about animals being culled unnecessarily.
His evidence on vaccination will be monotored closely by pro-vaccination campaigners already angry at recent Government admissions that the NFU played
a big role in its policy.
A major victory my foot!!!!!
DAN
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