Originally from: frances fish
                        
Just WHAT lessons have been learned ? If you have your head stuck in the sand then it must be very difficult to see any other point of view. In fact, you will be stuck in a time-warp where nothing changes and nothing gets any better. I think that Defra/Seerad epitomises this attitude for most farmers. Yet the farmers themselves are urged to embrace new technology, to change their practices, to adapt, to diversify or to go to the wall. Isn't it about time that Defra and its northerly cousin Seerad, swallowed some of their own medecine and began looking at their own way of "working " ?Isn't it time they dragged the way they regard and deal with animal diseases into this century ? Its not a question with them, to kill or not to kill, killing is the FIRST line of their perceived defence. Yet this same government urges all parents to have their children vaccinated, it is irresponsible not to. But this vaccination must be as per big brothers edict, you must not choose to have seperate jags it must be all or nothing ! Yet, if the choice was available to go down either road, would it not solve the problem at one fell swoop ? Presumably it would be more expensive (but I'm also sure that many parents would pay a subsidy to go down the road of choice) If, and perish the thought, FMD or another disease should rear its head again, farmers will not be given a choice apparently, cattle will be culled, vaccination is still lurking somewhere in the background.Yet in this day and age, it should be very much in the foreground. Lets hope Europe is able to drag these dinasaurs into the modern world or, alternatively, looking on the bright side, they may, like their predecessors, become extinct ! Oh, happy day !!!! Frances