The infected area is just north of the Hogs Back (A31), an area notorious
for deer on the road. The A31 was closed today because of a car hitting a deer.
This was inside the 3km exclusion zone, so the car and the road had to be
disinfected. Since the infected farm is separated from the labs only by an
arable farm, a wood and a golf course, it is pretty obvious how the virus could
have been spread. Look out for stories of F&M infected deer. It is crazy
that they put an F&M lab in an area with so many wild deer.
If indeed it was a deer, I dread to think how many animals on different farms could have been infected. Deer can travel miles in a day...
7 comments:
Just be glad it's not Christmas or Santa would be facing a pretty big legal bill.
The virus does have different strains, which might assist an analysis of where the farm outbreak originated.
Compared to 1968 or even 2001, there are so many more techniques to analyse blood samples and DNA of viruses, it might be possible to track the outbreak genetically -I don't know.
Even if there were, the chances of a mere member of the public being told anything approximating to the truth would be most unlikely.
If there is the chance of any blame attaching to the government for either importing meat from known FMD countries, or if the virus came from Pirbright, they will try any narrative they can find, other than one which makes anything sound like their fault.
what matters now is are they vaccinating approximate herds? Or will this be another mass slaughgter programme? will farmers be properly compnsated?
these decisions are being taken as we write. I have heard nothing yet.
All DEFRA have said is that BRusssels has been told. which is about as good a piece of evidence you can get as to who is actually running agriculture in the UK.
I supose we await our unstructions from there. So what's Brown doing cancelling his holiday?
Just seen your piece blaming Pirbright below. I am always suspicious of one dimensional analysis like that. OK it might be true, but it is probably easier to deal with politically than if the cause was otherwise.
If there are vaccines for it in Pirbright, are they going to be, or are they being used?
I would say I'm 80% convinced about Pirbright, but have learned to keep an open mind when dealing with bureaucracies and causes of things - like Ian Blair and the shooting of the Brazilian. Of course he didn't know - blinking liar.
From BBC -
'Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said it was too soon to say anything conclusive about the source of the virus but it was clear which strain was involved.
"That is carried at the Pirbright facility, at Meriel for vaccine production, and indeed at the Institute for Animal Health, on the same premises on the same location for diagnostic purposes," she said.
Merial said in a statement: "The decision to suspend production has been taken in full consultation with Defra and will enable Defra to carry out a thorough investigation into all possible sources of this outbreak."
The UK's chief vet has ordered a single protection zone to encompass both the infected farm premises and the Pirbright site, with a single 10km radius surveillance zone.
There has been a cull of one other herd of cattle adjacent to the farm as a precautionary measure but there were no signs of infection in any animals there, Ms Reynolds confirmed.'
So they're off - slaughtering perfectly healthy anaimals again as part of a slaughter programme with no mention of vaccination. Just like last time.
The spin seemed to emphasise Meriel the privatised facility producing the virus strain, but the testing goes on in the non-privatised IAH and could just as easily pilled out from there.
I expect the deer has "clearly been put up to it by someone"...
Deer deer deer
Deer can travel miles in a day. But mostly they don't do so. At this time of year this is particularly the case as they have young to mind.
The lab is supposed to be biologically secure so can be anywhere. Though in case of a problem better to be away from people and amongst deer than away from deer and amongst people?
What a remarkable story. Like killing Bambi as the Libdemologists said about accepting most Post Office closures without a pretence of a fight.
I was just researching this for a post myself - looks like no need. Deer come into the edge of nearby Woking, Pirbright must be assumed to be in their range, and would potentially have drunk from the pools of flood water and then walked in whatever direction they wanted.
If this is true then there is a potentially very serious problem, that is not going to be contained by current measures.
Defra know about the issue of Deer as the link to the issue of Deer stalking licenses points out ( I had no idea that Deer were stalked locally.)
I wonder if the left and right hands of Defra talk much ...
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