Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Just to put the record straight!

MAFF/DEFRA had and has, no powers over veteriary licenses to practice in the UK.

Vets are regulated by The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Vets who signed 'False Certificates' during 2001 did so because they chose to do so, unwittingly or not! Ignorance is no excuse!

During 2001 many vets and farmers chose to follow 'blindly' the advice of MAFF/SERAD/DEFRA and regarded the information received from agencies such as the NFU to be accurate.

Therefore they agreed to and allowed the mass slaughter of stock, both infected and healthy.

Some of us did our level best to indicate the alternatives but with the best of our willingness were unable to inform everyone or collaborate with eachother in a co-ordinated and far-reaching manner. As with most human beings, personal agendas and egos tend to reign supreme at the expense of the common good.

It is well worth remembering that there were a few vets who questioned the policy and others who refused to have anything to do with the Govt's slaughter policy. We should also remember that it was a vet, Roger Windsor, who alerted us to the issue of False Certificates, a matter confirmed by the then President of the R.C.V.S.

Although a number of farmers and pet owners made complaints to the College in this regard, it seems the R.C.V.S. has chosen not to discipline the vets responsible. This decision rests with the R.C.V.S. and has has nothing to do with the Govt.

It is also worth remembering that a few farmers chose to challeng the Govt/MAFF through the Courts and in every case in which the legality of the policy was challenged, MAFF withdrew their action.

Thus the actual legality of the Slaughter Policy was never tested and decided in a Court of Law. Hence the need for an Open Public Inquiry remains.

There can be no doubt that the Govt was extremely concerned that the Policy adopted during 2001 was not completely within the law and therefore chose to amend the Animal Health Act last year.

In our frustration and anger at what was our personal experience and what some of us perceive to be continued threats to our livestock, it's important that we don't lose sight of the facts as they were then or indeed as they are now.

The media are often extremely useful in alerting us to all sorts of stories and possible situations that concern us but it is extremely unwise to 'believe all we read in the papers'!

If a story grabs our attention it is helpful to post a link to our friends and this board, but at the same time it's foolish to make judgements without extensive research and obtaining confirmation from as many reliable sources as possible!