Vaccine appeal to farmers

Vaccination could save some cattle from slaughter

The government is trying to persuade farmers to back its plan to vaccinate thousands of cattle to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Prime Minister Tony Blair favours inoculating cattle which have been wintering indoors in hard-hit areas like Cumbria and Devon, but wants farmers to support the policy before it is implemented.

An advert explaining the thinking behind the plan has been placed by the government in the widely-read Farmers' Weekly magazine.

Crisis in the UK

Cases on Wednesday: 19

Total confirmed cases: 1,385

570,000 animals awaiting slaughter

413,000 carcasses awaiting disposal

But farmers' leader Ben Gill has warned that it could take up to two weeks to resolve several "major issues" raised by his members, before he could support the policy.

Conservative leader William Hague will be visiting farms in Essex on Thursday to highlight the plight of animals trapped in restricted areas.

The RSPCA has also announced it will arrange the delivery of fodder and shelter donated by the public, in an attempt to ease the suffering. Eighty RSPCA inspectors will offer assistance to the hardest hit farms.

In Cumbria, one of the worst-hit areas, the burning of slaughtered animals has been suspended amid fears the smoke from pyres could affect public health.

There have now been 1,385 outbreaks in the UK, with 19 cases confirmed on Wednesday.

Protect animals

Downing Street announced on Tuesday it had "accepted in principle" the argument for selective jabs in the worst-hit areas, which could save 100,000 animals from slaughter.

The government's chief vet Jim Scudamore said vaccination could protect animals, "dampen down" the disease and reduce the number of carcasses to deal with.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) has published the answers to 50 questions about vaccination posed by the National Farmers' Union, on its website.

We will be listening carefully to the views of farming and food industry representatives over the coming days before deciding how to proceed

Government advert

But despite lengthy meetings with Mr Scudamore and chief scientific advisor Professor David King, NFU leader Ben Gill said there were still issues to be resolved.

The union's concerns include questions over epidemiology aspects of the disease, how it may develop, and what implications there are for vaccination.

Prof King said on Wednesday that at least 60% of farmers would have to support the policy before it could begin.

The Farmers' Weekly advert states that vaccination "has always been an option" which would "complement" rather than replace the existing slaughter policy.

But it accepts the arguments for or against vaccination are "finely balanced" and that there are many "understandable concerns".

Limited vaccination 'justified'

The advert states: "Scientific and veterinary advice to ministers is that a very limited programme of vaccinating cattle in Cumbria, and possibly Devon, is justified as a means of protecting animals.

"Farmers' leaders have asked for a delay in the process so the science can be explored and the implications for consumers and trade better understood.

"We understand their position and we will be listening carefully to the views of farming and food industry representatives over the coming days before deciding how to proceed."

We have to sit down and discuss with the farming community how we can make the policy work

Tony Blair

Mr Gill is due to meet with government scientists again on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Mr Blair said there were no definitive answers or risk-free options to eradicating the disease.

"We have to sit down and discuss with the farming community how we can make the policy work," he said.

National Trust loses money

"Vaccination is not a substitute for the existing policy. We would still have to carry on, we must carry on slaughtering out the infected animals."

The advert also tells farmers that the EU has approved the vaccination proposal, and that the Food Standards Agency has confirmed it would pose no danger to human health.

Meanwhile, the National Trust has announced that, despite healthy visitor numbers over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, it is set to lose £11.5m as a result of the outbreak.