Tue Mar 27, 2001 8:25pm
Subject: Pigswill and Chinese Restaurant Meat May have started outbreak of foot and mouth

PIGSWILL AND CHINESE RESTAURANT MEAT CONNECTED TO FOOT AND MOUTH
http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/story/0,7369,464136,00.html

• Outbreak pinned to Heddon-on-the-Wall
• Suggested ban on swill feeding
• Restrictions on herd movements
• Army to assist in slaughter

Staff and agencies
Tuesday March 27, 2001

Illegal foreign meat meant for the Chinese restaurant industry may have contaminated pigswill and triggered the foot and mouth disease outbreak, the agriculture minister, Nick Brown, said tonight.
Mr Brown told the Commons that he proposed to ban the use of pigswill as it seemed likely that an infected batch at a farm at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, may have caused the crisis, which has now spread to 669 premises.

He said: "I am today proposing a ban on the use of swill feeding in this country. I have concluded that the potential risk of swill feeding, introducing disease to livestock farms where swill is not used, and to the wider community, is now greater than the benefits to the relatively small number of premises which continue to adopt this practice."

Mr Brown acknowledged that the "unprecedented outbreak" had yet to reach its height. While he insisted the 24-hour period between diagnosis and slaughter was being rigorously pursued, he proposed further measures to tackle the spread.

Mr Brown outlined tighter restrictions on the movement of cattle, sheep and pigs to prevent any future outbreaks reaching such a large scale. He announced two consultation documents, one on banning pigswill and the other on a standstill of cattle movement for 20 days.

The agriculture minister added that consultations were continuing about the possibility of using vaccinations and preparation was being done, "so that it can be done immediately if we conclude it is the right course".

A container of suspect meat clearly labelled for a Chinese restaurant was reportedly found hidden inside a load of household goods after confirmation of the case in Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland.

The pig farmer at the centre of the crisis Bobby Waugh, who runs the Heddon-on-the-Wall farm said earlier today that the government was creating a "smokescreen" by suggesting swill could be behind the current crisis.

Speaking from his home in Sunderland, Mr Waugh, 55, who has a current Ministry of Agriculture licence to collect and process swill, said: "I am not responsible for this, despite suggestions of being the source, and have not even had any contact from Maff or Northumberland County Council regarding it."

To qualify for the pigswill licence farmers have to own processing equipment and boil swill for four hours at 93C to kill bacteria.

Mr Brown said 697,500 animals had been authorised for slaughter and that 423,000 had already been culled.

As the crisis continued to escalate, the Army said it was preparing to assist in the mass slaughter of healthy animals at burial sites in Cumbria, Dumfries and Anglesey. Mr Brown said that 780 soldiers were now helping fight the crisis. He said: "Their role is to assist in the disposal policies and their presence helps us free up our veterinary officers."

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland livestock industry was today given the green light to resume exports to Europe after being granted regional status, the Province's agriculture minister, Mrs Brid Rodgers, announced.