Animal 0 Posté(e) le 2 octobre 2006 How 1m healthy animals were killed needlessly Sep 26 2006 Western Mail THE foot-and-mouth epidemic of 2001 was not as widespread as it appeared. New research by the Institute for Animal Health shows that more than one-third of sheep farms (38%) and nearly a quarter of all livestock farms (23%) thought to be affected were, in fact, disease-free. A study by the IAH published in the journal Veterinary Record says no evidence of the virus was found in samples collected from 390 out of the 1,730 so-called infected premises. A total of 6.5m animals were slaughtered during the outbreak, which was the first to affect the UK since 1967. Government policy at the time was to slaughter susceptible livestock on a farm within 24 hours of a vet diagnosing the disease on the basis of an animal's symptoms. Sheep played a major role in the spread of the disease, but showed few clinical signs, making diagnosis on the farm very difficult. Samples were sent to laboratories for testing but the time required to test them meant that animals were often killed before the diagnosis was confirmed. The policy of slaughtering animals suspected of having the disease within 24 hours meant that more than 1m misdiagnosed animals were slaughtered unnecessarily. The IAH is now developing new quicker tests that can be carried out on the farm. The "pen-side" tests, which are at the prototype stage, will allow vets to confirm diagnosis without having to wait for laboratory results. One test detects the protein coat of the virus, using a disposable device similar to a home pregnancy test. Another approach detects the genetic material of the virus. The research is being funded by Defra and the European Union. Nearly 2,000 farms were infected with the virus during the 2001 epidemic and the total cost to the UK economy was estimated at £8.5bn. Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan described the research as "vital". He said, "I am sure we can learn a lot from these findings if we are unfortunate enough to suffer another outbreak of the disease here in Wales. It's important that we don't repeat the mistakes of 2001." Mr Vaughan pointed out that it was five years since British farming was devastated by the foot-and-mouth epidemic. "I'm sure this information would have been obtained much earlier had the Government heeded calls by the FUW and other organisations for a full public inquiry into the causes and effects of the outbreak," he said. "I do not blame anyone for these misdiagnoses. It's easy to look back now and say that mistakes were made. But anyone who lived through that terrible time will know that the priority for everyone involved in farming was to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence, and everyone was under intense pressure to take swift and decisive action to halt the spread of the disease." Kevin Pearce, head of food chain and farm policy at the National Farmers' Union, said farmers had no choice but to rely on the expertise of vets. "Because the disease is so virulent and spreads so quickly we couldn't wait for weeks for results to come back. We had to make judgments and the vets made those judgments. At the time there was no alternative," he said. "Obviously it is upsetting for everyone to retrospectively look back and know that animals were slaughtered that didn't have to be. There will be some farmers who will be concerned about this clearly, but the reality is that there is nothing that anyone could have done differently." He said the research into "pen-side" tests was an important development for the industry around the world. "To have the ability to rapidly test animals at farm level during an incident would be a massive step forward." http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk Partager ce message Lien à poster Partager sur d’autres sites
