Jiglu: Farmtalking: Discussion: RE: Cat Magazine

Originally from: Farmtalking

Too right Dot! – I'll try and have a word with Nick Mays!
How could he have got things so wrong? His reporting of the troubles we had with the Dangerous Dogs Act in the early 1990's was excellent and very accurate. Nick knows only too well that legislation does not have to be too specific to be devastating! In the DDA the wording 'Pit Bull Terrier 'type' led to such innocent family pets as labradors crossed with boxers, adorable well trained mongrels and many pure bred and sweet tempered Staffies, including a very young puppy, being seized and incarcerated. The SI doesn't have to say 'cats' for the ministry to class them susceptible to TSE (which I understand they are) and order their slaughter. If the Minister really does wish to 'exclude' cats and/or any other animal it should be clearly stated in the legislation. An answer to a question in writing or the House of Commons or Lords is not enough IMO. Were I a lawyer, I would be delighted to see such 'loosely' worded legislation. As with the DDA it calls for long and drawn out Court cases and tons of legal argument, all 'grist to the mill' as it were! Although I would be somewhat 'miffed' that it prevents animal owners from defending their livestock prior to slaughter and thus the lawyers from lining their pockets! Not that I have any great antipathy to lawyers – there are some real 'stars' among them, generous to a fault with their time and never sending a bill for their pains. Of course we already know the Government has intentions of curbing the Legal profession in one way or another, so they are due for the 'chop' along with the cats, British agiculture and the transport plan no doubt! But I'm much cheered by the the saying, frequently quoted north of the Border, that "The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft awry!"

Author wrote:
For those trying to alert the pet owning public, this is the result of our
efforts so far, one Quote from defra , and we and the Telegraph are just
scaremongers.
I think a few letters to OUR CATS Mag might be a good idea.
luv
Dot
OUR CATS
The Official Journal of The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy
issue no 986 24th May 2002 <a href="http://www.ourcats.co.uk">www.ourcats.co.uk</a>
GOVERNMENT 'CAT CULLING' CLAIM INCORRECT. (leader front page)
Nick May Reports
A report in a national newspaper sparked fears of a Government-instigated
cull of cats as new measures to
battle outbreaks of BSE were due to be passed into law.
The Dailly Telegraph carried a front page story claiming that new
regulations due to be introduced by
Statuary Instrument ruling would allow Government Inspectors to enter any
premises where there was a
suspected outbreak of BSE or Scrapie and destroy any farm animals on the
premises, whether or not they
were infected – including cats.
The inclusion of cats appears to have been made simply on the basis that in
the past there have been
isolated incidents of cats suffering from a feline equivalent of BSE,
although this has never categorically
been linked to infected pet food or any other agency.
The article stated : " It gives Government officers the power to cull any
cow, sheep, goat or cat – whether
healthy or not – and impose a penalty of up to two years' imprisonment on
any owner who obstructs
Government inspectors in their work.
"Reasonable Force"
"Previously inspectors had to have reason to suspect the presence of a
transmissible spongiform disease,
such as BSE or Scrapie, Now they can use "reasonable force" to enter any
premises housing any "TSE
susceptable animal" and slaughter all animals. The powers also give
inspectors, and any "other persons as
he considers necessary" , such as police, Army or slaughtermen, powers to
seize computers or records."
The report also quoted Peter Ainsworth, the Shadow Rural Affairs Secretary,
who said the legislation
would "give the Government an inappropriate extension of its powers".
He went on ; " We are all in favour of mesures to eliminate scrapie but very
few people are going to be in
favour of measures that will allowofficials to kill just about any farm
animal including the family dog".
" Incorrect"
However a DEFRA spokesperson told OUR CATS that the Telegraph's story was
totally incorrect and that
there had never been any mention of Cats in any of the proposed legislation.
In a letter to the Telegraph (unpublished at the time of goin to press).
Lord Whitty, Minister for Food,
Farming and Waterways pointed out;
"Lord Phillips Report into BSE identified the key lesson; " At the heart of
the BSE story lie questions of
how to handle hazard – a known hazard to cattle and an unknown hazard to
humans. The Government
took measures to address both hazards. They were sensible measures, but they
were not always timely or
adequately implemented and enforced"
" We still have BSE in this country, even if it is declining rapidly. As I
write this letter, more than 100
people have died as a result of the tragic horror of varient CJD. Because of
the mistakes of the past, the
same fate may await other families. Like Lord Phillips the Government
believes that Regulations in this
area must be enforceable and fully effective in all respects.
" The TSE (England) Regulations came into force on 19th April 2002. They are
impelled by consolidation
and continuitynot radical change. Primarily, they bring together key
domestic controls on BSE and scrapie
which have grown up on an ad-hoc basis over several years; plainly, a tried
and tested package of
proportionate, precautionary measures, founded on expert scientific advice.
I am pleased that we have the
opportunity to consolidate these vital human and animal health measures
within a single legal text, so that
requirements are fully transparent and easier to understand.
Developments
"Secondly, the regulations bring the domestic regime into line with recent
developments at (European)
Community leval. Community measures on transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies are now to be
found in Council Regulation 999/2001 – adopted last summer – which provides
a secure legal base for a
tougher EU-wide approach to these diseases. The new EU controls very closely
parallel those already in
place in the UK....
"Your article runs the risk of stirring up anxiety where none is
appropriate, deterring honest farmers from
reporting diseased animals...."