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ReferenceRE: When did PMWS first show up in the UK?

Nigel Cannings 19 October 2003 10:34

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
To have and maintain a respect for all life forms should surely be commended.

It should lead to a desire to learn as much as we can about them all and gaining this knowledge should enable us to understand and care for them too.

So often this respect, however well intended, is over-ridden by our own selfish desires and needs.

In an effort to protect our FMD free status we lost respect for the animals and eachother during 2001, inflicting tragic and painful results on so many of our hunman and animal population.

The excuses/justifications made for these actions by the Government, their agents/employees, the RSPCA and RCVS and many others including farmers, were varied but they all boiled down to a selfish self-interest.

From: ...

Originally from Gary's story, relating his deeds in the past, we cannot fail to notice that his excuse for inflicting appalling cruelty on pigs by docking their tails and slitting their ears, was due to his effort to protect the interests of his farmer producers and his employer and thus himself.

He said – 'hogs had to bleed to remain alive. It was either that, or the PSS-Porcine Stress Syndrome would kill them before we could get them off the truck and onto a scale' he also said – 'Do you work for your employer, or do you help your customer?

I tried to do both...because disposal of "deads," wasn't a lot of fun.'

In no time at all he admits that this cruel act became the 'norm' when he added –

'At first, my customers objected to me slitting their pigs ears and docking tails. But after they saw their animals alive...it became an accepted practice.'

It is the most horrific and appalling admission.

Similarities with what happend here in 2001 are unavoidable. The cruelty inflicted became the 'accepted practice' in no time at all.

For those of us who have been fortunate enough to get to know a pig as an individual, learn that they are sensitive and intelligent animals and have many similarities with human beings both physically and mentally. Just like us, they do suffer from stress and panic and this can have very serious consequencies for them and us.

If we are lucky enough to meet someone who will take the time to understand our fears and help us to face them calmly and cope with the problem, our stress will be relieved.

Unfortunately, so often, there is no one willing to spare the time for the human us or the animals. Their stress and distress is ignored as we strive to achieve our own selfish desires at their expense.

There can be no excuses. Such selfish deeds are shameful and unforgiveable but cannot be undone.

The only way we can achieve some self respect and make atonement for what we have done has to be through continued efforts to ensure that we and others are never guilty of such crimes again.

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