Elliot Morley's Letter to WMN

Originally from: Natalie
                        
In today's WMN they have printed a letter which was sent to them from Animal Health Minister Elliot Morley.

Abuse no Substitue for Serious argument.

It is time the Western Morning News editorial tokk a more grown-up approach to serious issues rather than abusing everyone who dares to disagree with the paper's prejudices (November 2nd Page 12).

John Prescott is obviously right when he states that it was a Labour government that obtained Objective One status for Cornwall.

To do so required political commitment to make the issue a priority and win the case in Brussels. It was not a forgone conclusion and it is an example of a Labour government delivering for Cornwall the way the previous government did not.

As far as I am concerned all farmers know that there have been a minority who have broken the law, acted irresponsibly and helped spread foot and mouth with poor biosecurity.

While the Government accepts there are questions for us to look in the handling of the biggest outbreak of FMD the world has seen and has acknowledged that lessons need to be learned from the outbreak there are questions for farmers too.

The issues of biosecurity, multiple movements of live animals, proper traceability, risk sharing and lack of quarantine movements need to be firmly addressed in the beef and sheep sectors. I am not aware of any sensible farmer who doesn't at least think these are issued that should be considered and the practicalities examined.

Whether we like it or not the culling policy worked and this massive outbreak was brought under control faster than the much smaller and limited outbreak of 1967.

Given the massive logistical challenge and undoubted problems that is not an outcome to be described as lamentable. Contiguous culling to get ahead of ddisease spread was an essential part of that policy. Two independant scientific studies have confirmed that without contiguous culling there would have been thousands more outbreaks and we would still be in the midst of the edademic. Delays to culling mean the disease spreads.

Contiguous culling was not initially implemented in the Brecon Beacons outbreak. As a result the disease spread and there was a great risk of a major outbreak. It was not brought under control until local farmers agreed to contigous culling.

There is evidence of groups trying to organise widespread legal objectives to culling which would delay extinguishing the outbreak which we do not consider over yet.

This is about half of the letter and I don't know if you can get it on line but it is very long to type out.

The last paragraph reads;_ The question for the WMN is whether it wants to used that process to inform its reader through informed reporting, or just carry on with politically-motivated rants.

ELLIOT MORLEY MP
Parliamentarty Under Secretary

NATALIE
                        

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Thanks Natalie!

Elliot Morelry's letter to the WMN would seem to indicate that at last we are rattling his cage!

What he seems to have failed to grasp is the fact that despite his continuing claim that the Government's policy 'worked' we know better!

We know that the policy was unscientific and against the law.
We know our slaughter laws were broken
We know cruelty to animals was committed in umpteen cases by those in the Government's employ.
We know that at every chance the Government had to prove they were right in a Court of Law, they withdrew their action, or in the case of Mossburn in Scotland, they changed the law.
Therefore we cannot fail to draw the conclusion that they feared they would lose in Court!
We know that they 'conned' farmers with the 3km cull.
We know that millions of healthy animals have been slaughtered unecessarily. We know that the environment is damaged from pits and pyres.
We know that many rural and urban busnesses are ruined.
We know we should have a public inquiry.
We know the policy has cost the country billions of pounds in an effort to save a few million pounds worth of exports, (much of which involved the suffering of live animals enduring horrendous conditions on route and at final destination)
We know the State Veterinary Service has been run down.
We know we cannot adequately protect our ports to prevent illegal imports. We know MAFF/DEFRA's poor biosecurity far outweighs any breaches by farmers. We know welfare problems have added to the unecessary death toll, aided by MAFF/DEFRA's hopeless logistical & organisational abilities.
We know they always blame someone else – even IT services!
We know they have made deals with Europe they have not disclosed to us. We know they are unnecessarily slaughtering antibody positive animals. We know there is no good scientific basis for a contiguous cull.
We know the WMN has done a fantastic job telling the truth!
We know vaccination works!

I could go on but I'm afraid I will bore you – after all you know all this already and have done for months!
As for Mr.Moreley – he would be wise to say no more! At first we excused him, believing him ignorant, then we decided he must be rather foolish but now his continued justification of a policy which completely lacks credibility verges on idiocy!
The Devon inquiry was right – the Governments handling of this epidemic was lamentable to say the least!

Jane

Originally from: Natalie
                        
Jane – Can you get this Newpaper's articles on line because I didn't type all of the letter and on the next page the editor replied to the letter which would take me forever to type out. It is a very interesting aritcle and if you would like to read it I will photocopy it for you and send it to you by post .

NATALIE.

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From: ...

Originally from: <...>

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Hi Natalie – AFAIK it is not on-line and would I love a copy if you could send it – Thanks very much! – Jane

Originally from: Natalie
                        
This is the rest of the letter:-

Our policy already for provisions for exception and speedy local appeals to the Divisional Veterinary Manager. Many local appeals were upheld and the situation will remain and could be strengthened.

The fact however that some cases delayed by legal proceedings became infected premises. This happened in Devon, which ironically involved the only farm that won a High Court case against DEFRA.

Once an IP, neighbouring farms can be slaughtered as contiguous cases. If that farm had been culled out promptly, few animals might have been killed. While I have every sympathy with those who do not like a culling policy, to say the contiguous cull did not work is wrong on both the practical and scientific evidence.

Even a handful of delayed contiguous culls can have serious consequences. This outbreak started on one pig farm, currently being prosecuted, and was spread by just 16 adjacent sheep that went to market.

This is not to say that there may not be alternative approaches to future epidemics and the independent in quiries may have views on that.

Nothing in the Animal Health Bill commits the Government to any one approach. It is likely, however that even with vaccine use there will still have to be culling and speed is essential.

The Bill also strengthen powers of entry for vaccination and serology . Legal delays by a single farmer over blood testing led to a 14-day delay in lifting FMD restrictions in Devon, prolonging the problems for farmers that go with such limits on movements.

It is parochial to simply look at the Animal Health Bill in the context of Devon. I am glad to say FMD was stamped out in Devon faster than other areas – despite, I might go to say, the lurid and ridiculous ideas highlighted in the WMN that there would be a huge cull in Devon following the General Election.

There have been even bigger problems with legal delays in other parts of the country, than Devon and these new powers are simply to extend the options the Government has in any animal disease outbreak. It does not mean that they will automatically be used and co-operation is always better than confrontation.

The Bill also provides power to speed up the National Scapie Plan, which is very much in the interest of farmers and powers to provide a financial incentive to encourage the minority of farmers who have been involved inspreading FMD by poor bioseccurity by a reduction in their compensation if they are guilty of this. These are not controversial powers and we will be consulting on the details of their application.

It is in our interest of government to minimise culling and bring outbreaks under control as quickly as possible. The co-operation we have had from farming organisations and other groups is not reflected in the tone of the WMN.

the WMN deems that the Government is responsible for absolutely everything, gives you no recognition for the dedication of our local staff and the stressful and unpleasant work they had to do and argues that anyone who does not comply with the prejudices of the editorial is 'arrogant' and uncaring and the solution to every ill is resolved by large cash handouts.

Good regional papers do raise serious subject; are entitled to question policy, and the WMN has first-class journalists on its staff. All the greater shame that the paper's influence and credibility is undermined by the politically-motivated rants of its editorial.

The sad thing for the region is that the paper's attitude is so predictable it can hardly expect to be taken seriously by the Government or key decision – makers.

For our part we are always willing to engage, answer questions, take up issues, provide information and be prepared to be accountable for any action through media scrutiny.

The question for the WMN is whether it wants to use that process to inform its readers through informed reporting , or just carry on with politically motivated rants.

ELLIOT MORLEY MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary

That ias all of the Letter from Elliot Morley to the WMN – I will photcopy Barrie Williams's Editor, Western Morning New's reply. Please let me know the address to send it to.

NATALIE
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From: ...

Originally from: Graham Woolridge <...>

Originally from: Nick green
                        
One missed point Jane.

Morley is misleading the people of the United Kingdom!

He is a liar!

NICK