Foot and Mouth Alert and Its Implications
Letter received from Jill Shortland, Leader of Somerset County Council, County Councillor South Chard, Chairman South West Regional Assembley
September 20th 2007
County Hall, Taunton, Somerset TA1 4DY
Tel: 01823 355014
Fax: 01823 356239
Email: jcshortland@somerset.gov.uk
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you following the confirmation of another outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease on a farm in Surrey on Wednesday 12th September 2007. Defra has introduced a general ban on the movement of cattle, sheep, pigs and other ruminants, and restrictions on animal movements are likely to continue for some weeks.
Information on restrictions may change on a daily basis. Somerset County Council’s Animal Health & Welfare team is supporting Defra by receiving enquiries from livestock owners on information on movements and animal welfare. Contact details are as follows:
1. Defra
www.defra.gav.uk or via their helpline on 08459 33 55 77.
2. Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council’s Animal Health & Welfare team can be contacted on 01823 660050 or you can visit www.somerset.gov.uk
I understand the enormous pressure these restrictions will place on Somerset’s farming community at this time of year and have written a similar letter to all of Somerset’s livestock owners. Somerset County Council is working closely with Defra to identify the key issues we face locally and to support the farming community. Members of Somerset County Council's Animal Health & Welfare team will be attending local Defra stakeholders meetings. Anyone who has concerns about specific local animal welfare issues that they would like to be raised at these meetings can contact Eirian Williams or Mike Marriott in the Animal Health & Welfare Team on 01823 660050.
Somerset County Council’s Animal Health & Welfare team will also be stopping all non-essential visits to farms whilst the restrictions remain in place and we are asking for co-operation from other partners to do the same. The County Council is also liaising with the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG).
Rights of Way
Somerset’s Rights of Way remain open to the general public. The contribution of tourism is vital to our local communities, however, we also want to stress the importance of accessing the countryside sensibly at this time. Enclosed with this letter is a template notice that has also been included in the letter to livestock owners. We have consulted with the National Farmers Union and the Country Land & Business Association on this and would like to ask for your support in using this guidance where appropriate to promote the message of accessing the countryside in a sensible way. If you would like additional copies of this template, it can be downloaded at www.somerset.gov.uk by clicking on the Foot and Mouth link on the home page.
Finally, I would like to thank you in advance for your close co-operation in supporting Somerset’s communities at this time. If there are any broader issues you would like the County Council to raise on your behalf, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Jill Shortland