Topic: free status

Originally from: Farmtalking Hello Bill – In fact I doubt the serious consequences you mention have been missed at all! As you point out, pasteurisation diminished that risk. The 'panic' you speak of has nothing to do with the infection, as we have known for many years, even prior to the availability of an efficacious vaccine, that some infected animals can, did and still do, recover from the disease.

Originally from: mona parr My sheep were blood tested in 1997 for the above. Letter recd April 1998 from Scottish Office-- All GB results proved negative. In total 2131 sheep flocks and 269 goat herds were sampled for contagious agalactia and 1391 sheep flocks and 205 goat herds for brucella melitensis.

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.

Originally from: lina Most world markets remain shut to British breeders At the current rate of progress it could be the end of the decade before all the British pig industry's world markets are reopened. Three-quarters remain closed, following the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic. The 45 countries concerned include Korea, Japan, China, Mexico, Russia and Brazil. The United States will take pigs but not semen.

Originally from: Farmtalking My apologies, I have to admit that in one of my messages yesterday I expressed my feelings of irritation and I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has been a member of this board since it's inception and even if they have, they may not have lived every day since early 2001 with FMD and it's consequences. Therefore, I should not expect everyone to know or remember the full story, as I understand it.

Originally from: Farmtalking Hi Coleen! I rather think the facts of the matter are the that the public – which includes us! – rarely think, if ever, about the possibility they are eating vaccinated meat.

Originally from: Duncan Prof King in a interview on the 'today programme' said he does not agree with the findings of the EU. Let us look back to last year, he said, when we were 'celebrating'. Celebrating because we had got our 'disease free status back'. The largest fmd outbreak in the World. This was only achievable by the methods we used 'culling'.

Originally from: Bill David, That would have been the ELISA test for antibody. The virus neutralisation test result will be another 2 or 3 days. If the blood sample is taken within the first 5 days of infection the ELISA test will always be negative. They should also be running a virus neutralisation test to try to detect virus which can be in the blood for up to 5 days.

Originally from: Farmtalking The Royal Society of Edinburgh has issued it's report following their Inquiry into the FMD epidemic the Report Summary follows. For the complete report – http:/​/​www.royalsoced.org.

Originally from: Farmtalking The report on Prof. Roy Anderson's address in Aberdeen has made me very irritated! I have the greatest respect for those who are 'educated' and have managed to take advantage of the opportunities that were avaliable to them to qualify as Scientists etc,. I have even more respect for those scientists who have taken take the time and trouble to explain aspects of their subject to an uneducated 'me'!