Continuing fight to prevent foot-and-mouth

The spectre of re-introducing foot-and-mouth disease into this country has been raised by the National Pig Association (NPA), who are fearful that “hobby pig farmers” are using kitchen and catering waste to feed their animals.

The NPA, which represents the commercial pig industry in Britain, said that the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic was triggered by feeding inadequately treated catering waste to pigs.

Following the discovery of the disease that year, the NPA points out, it took nine months to bring it under control, during which time ten million pigs, sheep and cattle were slaughtered – and it cost the country £8 billion. Since that outbreak, the feeding of waste has carried a penalty of up to two years in jail because of the risks involved in introducing costly and damaging disease epidemics to Britain.

The NPA’s concern on this issue has been heightened by the recent actions of some environmental activists, who want to see a lifting of the European Union ban on feeding kitchen and catering waste to pigs.

Currently, foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks involving several hundred cattle and sheep have been reported in the Amur region of eastern Russia, where dealing with the outbreaks has been made difficult by severe flooding in the area, according to the national veterinary authority.

The NPA contends that foot-and-mouth and other potentially dangerous diseases such as classical swine fever and African swine fever are opportunistic and persistent. The infective agents can live for months, sometimes years, in raw and processed meat.

And it added that, at any time, these diseases may be present in countries that export fresh, frozen and processed meats to Britain.

The viruses can also arrive in this country in fresh and cooked foods carried by holidaymakers, visitors and people working here – even being able to survive on clothing for up to a fortnight.

“Whilst the NPA understands why people may think feeding food waste makes perfect sense, we want everyone who keeps pigs to follow the law to the letter because we feel that the stakes are too high,” said NPA general manager Dr Zoe Davies.

“Pig-keepers are responsible members of society and we think there is more chance they will obey the law scrupulously if we explain the reasons for not feeding any kitchen waste and that’s what our ‘Don’t Kill Me With Kindness’ campaign seeks to do.

“You cannot be completely confident no cross contamination has taken place, so please just willingly obey the law. These days, better control mechanisms are in place and it is hoped the next outbreak will be brought under control more quickly.”

Davies added: “Any outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever or African swine fever will mean the slaughter of animals, a ban on moving animals in at-risk areas, and the loss of export markets.

“Aside from the emotional distress caused, these diseases have a massive economic impact, not only on the affected farms, but on the local community, local businesses and every pig farm in the country for many years”.

She added that rather than take unacceptable risks by feeding catering waste to pigs, it was more sensible to tackle waste further up the food chain so that far less was wasted at manufacturing, retail and household level.

“If we could achieve that as a society, then well-meaning environmentalists would not have to worry so much about the amount of waste food that is currently going into landfill.”