Shock return of Foot and Mouth
By TMX Archives on 9th Aug 07
OFF-road sport was this week bracing itself for the potentially devastating consequences following the shock news of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak which kicked-off last Friday with the disclosure of an outbreak at a farm in Wanborough, near Guildford, Surrey, which is situated close to a research laboratory at Pirbright.
It was hoped that with swift action the outbreakcould be contained, with 97-cattle having been slaughtered at twosites, but as T+MX was going to press on Tuesday it was confirmed thata second case had been confirmed - within an officially sanctionedthree kilometre Protection Zone - and a further 102-animals were culledas a result.
A total ban on animal movement was brought intoforce after the original outbreak which affects a total of 111,000farms containing 10-million cattle, 23-million sheep and five-millionpigs.
The last epidemic, in 2001, devastated theoff-road sport industry as the effects of Foot and Mouth dragged ruralBritain to a virtual standstill and which eventually cost the countryan estimated eight billion pounds as it was faced with no alternativeexcept a total shutdown of the countryside.
On that occasion off-road sport was effectively closed down forthree-months and even after the official all-clear was given, it took afull 12-months before the sport was back to normal.
As last time, off-road clubs and organisations are100% behind the farmers and landowners and the sport will do whateveris necessary to help contain the virus and keep it from spreading.
The Isle of Man acted instantly on hearing thenews last Friday (see separate story) and all three motorcycle eventsscheduled on the Island for last weekend were cancelled and rural IoMwas declared a virtual no-go area.
This week, one of the first events to be cancelledwas the British Ladies Championship Trial, due to run at Cogden Hall,Reeth, Yorkshire, as the Richmond club instantly agreed that it wasn'tfair to put the farmer - and his large dairy herd - at risk.
Other events were being cancelled as T+MX was going to press.
The ACU has issued several press releases since Monday - which are printed in full on this page.
Competitors are advised to check before travelling to ANY event tosee if it is still on in order to cut down on vehicle movements. Eventsthat take place onpermanent tracks or in non-agricultural surroundings, i.e. quarries,gravel and sand pits etc could well be running but please check anyway.
Obviously, readers can follow the breaking newsregarding FMD on a daily basis via TV, radio, etc while T+MX will run alist of cancelled events and the latest news concerning the sport onour website - www.tmxnews.co.uk Club secretaries are asked to pleaseforward any cancelled events so we can keep the list up to date.
Here's hoping for a rapid end to the outbreak for everyone's sake.
