The Grumpy Vegan has wanted to write further about the Foot and Mouth outbreak in Surrey, England but when he goes to do so there are further developments that prevent him from doing so. The source is now identified to be most likely the government’s own research laboratory in Pirbright. As Max Hastings asked,
Whatever the explanation of the Surrey foot and mouth outbreak, it appears plain that someone at the Pirbright laboratory complex was negligent. Virus cultures are, in effect, biological weapons, and require handling accordingly. In this case, something went badly wrong.
It does not seem vindictive to suggest that when all the facts are in, if it proves possible to attribute responsibility to individuals, they should be sacked. The outbreak has cost tens of millions of pounds, caused massive disruption and put the fear of God into the rural community. If accountability means anything, somebody should pay the price.
And, as Peter Wilby wrote, Foot and Mouth is “essentially an economic sickness.” In short: Who’s to blame? And why is it costing the country so much when it doesn’t have to? And let’s not forget that farmed animals, who shouldn’t be there in the first place, are being needlessly killed.
And then you have this excellent letter from Dr Harash Narang, Biosecurity goes down the drain.
It’s no surprise that the report into the source of the foot and mouth outbreak has blamed faulty drains at the Pirbright site (Same lab blamed for new foot and mouth case, September 14). The impression given is that the spillage of cultured virus within laboratories is the source of contamination. However, this possible source is negligible compared to constant contamination from the experimental use of animals. To determine the efficacy of the vaccine, at the Pirbright site some animals are vaccinated, others injected with live virus, or vaccinated animals are re-exposed with live virus; various combinations are used and tested. Cows, sheep and pigs shed up to 1m virus particles per gram of faeces; therefore their pens are constantly contaminated with virus particles. Each day these pens are washed down and the contaminated water flows into drains.
Defra currently allows contaminated water into the sewage system as FMD is an animal infection as opposed to a human one. However, given that FMD is a notifiable disease, such water should be held in septic tanks to kill the virus. Defra should make the autoclaving of all laboratory waste materials mandatory prior to disposal. This would bring its policy into line with the Health and Safety Executive, which oversees hospitals and medical institutes.
There is no policy to vaccinate animals on a farm where an outbreak of FMD has occurred or adjoining farms. As the Pirbright site manufactures the vaccine for export only, perhaps the government should consider either moving the production of the vaccine to a country where FMD is already prevalent, or changing our vaccination policy.
