Turboman said:
Hundreds of thousands of cattle that tested positive were culled. All the cattle that were in the same herds were culled. There was what was called a contiguous cull, whereby herds adjacent were culled out, even if they didn't have the disease.
All cattle in Britain were put on movement hold, so no-one could sell animals, or bring them back to the farm from outlying pasture.
You couldn't send dead stock to the knackers, I had to burn a dead calf in the yard, which is not easy or pleasant.
I am a tough cookie, and well funded. Some farmers killed themselves from the stress and worry.

It was the closest thing to ethnic cleansing of the rural people I have ever experienced, and I will never forgive Blair for his incompetence and disinterest in handling it.

You should read up about it on the net, very interesting, but I don't want to go into it any more.
Click to expand...
Ah okay, will do thanks. I was only 7 or 8 so can't remember much, seems a real **** show.
 
Turboman said:
Hundreds of thousands of cattle that tested positive were culled. All the cattle that were in the same herds were culled. There was what was called a contiguous cull, whereby herds adjacent were culled out, even if they didn't have the disease.
All cattle in Britain were put on movement hold, so no-one could sell animals, or bring them back to the farm from outlying pasture.
You couldn't send dead stock to the knackers, I had to burn a dead calf in the yard, which is not easy or pleasant.
I am a tough cookie, and well funded. Some farmers killed themselves from the stress and worry.

It was the closest thing to ethnic cleansing of the rural people I have ever experienced, and I will never forgive Blair for his incompetence and disinterest in handling it.

You should read up about it on the net, very interesting, but I don't want to go into it any more.
Click to expand...

I was there throughout in a professional capacity as a journalist so I am sorry for the publicity. The whole Ministry policy and attitude on the ground was based on ineptitude, incompetence and a policy book based on the fifties. The ministry men on the ground seemed to take too much pleasure of being part of a machinery that was destroying the farming industry. A journalist who filmed some of their antics was held in the middle of the road, stripped naked and sprayed continually with disinfectant by a group of ministry men. It was a deterrent to all of us to keep away. I remember a herd of Charolais - one half was on the south side of the lane and the other half of the herd was fifteen paces away in the barns on the other side of the road. The ministry made sure they were kept separate as it was 'against the law' for cattle to be on a public road - fifteen paces on a seldom used public lane could have been the difference between life and death, a herd indoors may have been safer than one outside. And Turboman, I have obviously never been a farmer, but I more than understand where you are coming from, if you'll forgive my assumption.
 
Frenchdame said:
I was there throughout in a professional capacity as a journalist so I am sorry for the publicity. The whole Ministry policy and attitude on the ground was based on ineptitude, incompetence and a policy book based on the fifties. The ministry men on the ground seemed to take too much pleasure of being part of a machinery that was destroying the farming industry. A journalist who filmed some of their antics was held in the middle of the road, stripped naked and sprayed continually with disinfectant by a group of ministry men. It was a deterrent to all of us to keep away. I remember a herd of Charolais - one half was on the south side of the lane and the other half of the herd was fifteen paces away in the barns on the other side of the road. The ministry made sure they were kept separate as it was 'against the law' for cattle to be on a public road - fifteen paces on a seldom used public lane could have been the difference between life and death, a herd indoors may have been safer than one outside. And Turboman, I have obviously never been a farmer, but I more than understand where you are coming from, if you'll forgive my assumption.
Click to expand...

No worries. It was 17 years ago, and we got over it.
It wasn't really the media's fault, in fact some of the publicity was helpful.
I lay the blame squarely with the Government. Not even necessarily MAFF, but higher up, the urban centered wonks in Cabinet, and their advisers.
They never took any interest in farming or rural matters, did not see the problem coming, legislate to prevent it, or devote attention and funding to it quickly enough.
Some farmers believe the Govt. released FMD on purpose to get at the livestock farmers.
I am not one of those, but I do think their short sighted policies of allowing inferior imported food, and cutting back on inspectors on farms, and in other places led to the outbreak.
And then they had the audacity to attempt a cover up, and changed the name of MAFF to DEFRA, a blanket organisation that deals with the environment, instead of a dedicated Farming MInistry. And to put the idiotic and urban centred Margaret Becket in charge of it.
 
It was never far from my thinking that Thatcher had the miners and Labour had the farmers. And where would you find any politician with a grounding in agriculture, food and livestock? And now there's Gove looking after the land. For real???
 
Frenchdame said:
It was never far from my thinking that Thatcher had the miners and Labour had the farmers. And where would you find any politician with a grounding in agriculture, food and livestock? And now there's Gove looking after the land. For real???
Click to expand...

To be fair, Nick Brown, who was in charge of MAFF at the start of the outbreak, wasn't a bad chap. He admitted he knew little about farming, but said he would try and learn. And he got on OK with farmers, especially for a gay man in the fairly homophobic farming community.
Unfortunately, he was made a scapegoat for the evils of Blair, Brown, and Campbell.

The British Govt. has taken scant notice of farmers, and the countryside, for centuries, except in times of War., almost irrespective of the Colour of the government concerned.
 
Browns problem I think was twofold - he was a genuine nice man and the civil service thought they owned him, As for governments, they generally work only on figures and as farming contributes less than 1% of GDP, they don't want to know - until the wet stuff hits the fan.
 
Frenchdame said:
Browns problem I think was twofold - he was a genuine nice man and the civil service thought they owned him, As for governments, they generally work only on figures and as farming contributes less than 1% of GDP, they don't want to know - until the wet stuff hits the fan.
Click to expand...

Farming actually contributes vastly more to GDP, but many of the benefits are hard to quantify, such as the benefits to tourism, etc.

For me, the problem is that most of the government, and civil servants, are university educated townies, and so do not get on with the bulk of the farming community.
 
GrumpyGel said:
Can we have some pictures of boats please?
Click to expand...
Any kind of boat? An old one perhaps? 1975 Moody 30 - great British yacht

Manatee and Spain March 14 024.JPG
 
That's Manatee - like a Landy, a beautiful lumbering giant........actually sold last autumn for a pittance.........
 
Frenchdame said:
A beauty. Do you manage to get out much?
Click to expand...

As much as I can. I hate staying tied up, a boat is meant to move.
Had a good three day run so far in February. Didn't get out of the marina in Jan, weather was horrible, and I had the flu.
Was out quite a few times in December, although it was a bit nippy.
Hoping to be off for a 6 month cruise as soon as the Nene is open, they are working on a lock at the moment. I may have to tie the boat up now and then while I attend to business of one sort and another.
 
A good long cruise is an extension of life I think - never quite managed it when Mrs B fell ill last year and so we sold up. I used to just love the freedom of unhitching and going - even round in circles sometimes. They say that berths on the waterways are rare these days but it's a system governments should have invested in years ago. In the meantime just enjoy.
 
Frenchdame said:
A good long cruise is an extension of life I think - never quite managed it when Mrs B fell ill last year and so we sold up. I used to just love the freedom of unhitching and going - even round in circles sometimes. They say that berths on the waterways are rare these days but it's a system governments should have invested in years ago. In the meantime just enjoy.
Click to expand...

I am. :)
On the canal, you can actually tie up anywhere towpath side, if it isn't a turning hole, a private mooring, or a bridge hole.
So mooring isn't much of an issue of you aren't too fussy.
Except in a few, mostly urban, liveaboard hotspots. :(
 
Turboman said:
I am. :)
On the canal, you can actually tie up anywhere towpath side, if it isn't a turning hole, a private mooring, or a bridge hole.
So mooring isn't much of an issue of you aren't too fussy.
Except in a few, mostly urban, liveaboard hotspots. :(
Click to expand...
Stay away from the Black Country I heard
 
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