4/09/01

Foot and Mouth Disease Threatens Rare Breeds

The following is excerpted from a letter from Lawrence Alderson, Secretariat of Rare Breeds International, 6 Harnage, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 6EJ, UK, Tel: +44 (0)1952 510030

"I am sure that you all will have some idea of the development and progress of the current Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak in UK, but there will be many points which are not clear or which you wish to explore further. I am taking this opportunity to paint the background picture."

"Rare Breeds International has been monitoring the situation, and has been making representations to the appropriate veterinary and political authorities to ensure that important genetic stocks are not slaughtered unnecessarily. At this stage the impact on endangered breeds has been relatively slight, but some important genetic stocks of non-rare breeds have been lost. In particular, the heartland of the Cheviot (South Country) sheep and Galloway cattle has been severely affected, and the Devon focus has affected Devon cattle and Devon Closewool sheep to a lesser degree."

"Among rare breeds there have been significant losses among British Lop, which has a very small population, and Gloucestershire Old Spots pigs. There have been smaller losses among Manx Loghtan, Hebridean, Whitefaced Woodland and Castlemilk Moorit sheep and Dexter cattle. This is not an exhaustive list, and the situation is developing so rapidly that any survey is soon out of date. Agreement has been reached with the authorities that important pedigreed stocks will be evaluated with special care before any slaughter order is approved. It is not possible at this stage to give any forecast of the likely progress of the outbreak. It is still out of control. Since the army was drafted to assist, the rate of slaughter and disposal has improved, but it will remain a process of 'catch-up' for some time owing to the inadequate measures taken in the early stages. The incidence of new cases continues at a high level fuelled partly by the slowness of diagnosis and slaughter."

"Financial problems for individual farmers relate mainly to loss of production as farms may not be re-stocked until six months after the last outbreak in the area. For some farms that might mean empty fields and barns for more than a year. There is no compensation for consequential loss. Fortunately, the valuation of fallen stock is being maintained at reasonable levels, and in most cases seems to be taking account of the cost of replacement in a depleted livestock population."

"On a political front, the two major points of discussion are the use of vaccination and the timing of the general election. The first has generated powerful feelings and argument on both sides; the second is an unfortunate intrusion of political motives into a major crisis of animal health and national interest. The relevant argument of animal health (vaccination) has now moved to Europe, and RBI will be involved in a deeper scrutiny of methods of agricultural production which have been highlighted not only by Foot and Mouth Disease, but also by earlier problems of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or "Mad Cow Disease"), genetically modified foods, E coli, salmonella, etc."

If you are outraged by what is happening in Europe, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy urges you to make your feelings known.

Call Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman (202) 720-3631.

Call President Bush (202) 456-1414 to let him know that rare breeds need special consideration if Foot and Mouth Disease comes to North America.

Write a short, hard-hitting statement about this issue and fax it to Secretary Veneman at her office in the USDA and to President Bush at the White House. FAX to USDA at (202) 720-2166 and the White House at (202) 456-2461. Many times big business and big government shunts phone calls off to machines, but thousands of faxes expressing outrage and concern make a powerful statement by themselves. If you don't get through the first time, try again.

Call your Congressional Representatives. U.S. Congress switchboard
(202) 224-3121 can connect you to your Senators and Representative). Tell your Congressional Representative and Senators that they need to call and write Agriculture Secretary Veneman and President Bush to let them know about the special needs of rare breeds of livestock.

ALBC will be posting future notices about Foot and Mouth Disease and its implication for rare breeds on our web site.

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) is dedicated to the conservation and promotion of endangered breeds of American livestock and poultry. ALBCås conservation efforts include research on breed status and characteristics; developing breed specific strategies for conservation; maintaining a gene bank of rare breeds; strengthening the stewardship skills of breeders through various educational venues; and educating the public through workshops, conferences and publications. ALBC is the only organization in the United States that does this important work. Established in 1977, ALBC is a national, non-profit, membership organization based in Pittsboro, North Carolina. For more information about breed conservation, to join, and to contribute to ALBCås efforts, contact PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC, 27312, (919) 542-5704.