Letters

I THINK wild animals may be partly to blame for the rapid spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

About a month ago, a wild boar was killed by a car on the road between Consett and Lanchester. The other night, a fox was seen in an infected area near Satley.

Also, I think an alternative to burning the carcasses has got to be found. Until a fire gets to a very high temperature it just pumps out a lot of toxic fumes and may be sending viruses into the air.

Would it not be less harmful to the environment if these carcasses were buried in deep opencast mines? - H Tyers, Consett.

AS the outbreak of foot-and-mouth cases increase daily, I think the powers that be who are adamant that slaughtering is the only way, may have to rethink.

It was obvious from the start with the massive increase of cattle movements over the country and Europe compared to 30 years ago, the task of containing it would be awesome.

One of the main reasons for not vaccinating is that it would destroy the export market. If the present trend continues there will be nothing left to export.

Should the horrendous slaughtering policy being implemented finally eliminate the present outbreak, with the lax or non-existence of preventative control against dubious imports and the continued feeding of swill, how long before another outbreak? - Douglas Punchard, Kirkbymoorside.

READING of the number of dead animals that are just waiting to be buried or burned, I can understand the concern that dead animals will be a big attraction to rats and the last thing we want to see now is a plague of rats in the countryside.

The farming community has suffered enough so it is very important that the disposal is speeded up. - FG Wealands, Darlington.

AS the skies over Britain darken from the smoke of the ever-increasing number of animal pyres burning in the countryside, I wondered if Cumbria was a regular aircraft refuelling stop between London and Stockholm.

I think it must be, as there was no other reason for Tony Blair's private jet to land there.

It certainly wasn't so our "caring and compassionate" Prime Minister could meet the farmers who lives are being destroyed by the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

Mr Blair and his entourage swept past these men, and spent a whole ten minutes meeting Maff officials and representatives of the local tourist industry. Why did he bother? Couldn't he just phone? Then he was off again to Stockholm to attend another important European meeting.

The detour to Cumbria must have been an irritating distraction for Mr Blair, who has kept an extremely low profile since the start of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

By his actions, he demonstrates clearly where his priorities lie. Mr Blair cares about one thing only, Europe above all! Let's hope the people remember come polling day. - AE Pearce, Peterlee.

WHAT is it with the British psyche that encourages us, whenever anything happens, to look for someone to blame?

You printed six letters on the foot-and-mouth crisis (HAS, Mar 26). One was critical of the EU, one of Maff, one of the media, while three were heavily critical of farmers.

No other sector of our community has been as much maligned, misunderstood, neglected and taken for granted as the farming community.

Farmers and their families are in despair and one of the chief reasons is the constant drip, drip effect of radio phone-ins, television documentaries and newspaper articles where urban pundits who have never set foot on a farm pontificate on the sins of British farming.

I am proud to be associated with British farming families. No one works as hard or with greater dedication and commitment.

If, as a nation, we continue to trim our household food budget so that we can increase spending on leisure and entertainment, if we continue to clamour for open access to a countryside that we perceive as being only a space for recreation, then we need to be aware of the economic and social pressures this places on farming families.

Apportioning blame in this matter is a dangerous game, it may be that we are all culpable. - Richard Bainbridge, Bishop Auckland.

HUNTING

IT IS with horror that the country watches the burning of our livestock on the television.

I am sure any reasonable person will have nothing but sympathy for those caught up in the disaster and whose livelihoods must now be in question.

But I wonder if you realise that, if planned legislation goes ahead, they will not be the only fires and destruction we will see.

It will be due to more than 20,000 hounds being destroyed if the ban on hunting with dogs goes ahead. At the same time, countless numbers of horses will meet an early death due to the excess that will hit the markets in the following months. This for the sake of the supposed effects on the animal welfare.

What we will be witnessing will be the spread of another disease - the all-mouth disease - where ignorance and prejudice have disastrous effects on the animals they claim they want to help and no thought is given to the dreadful and far-reaching consequences on other animals.

Once again, people have failed to listen to the countryside. - G Barker, Ripon.

DR GEORGE CAREY

AS our country sinks more deeply into crisis, where everyone's best efforts to resolve the mounting problems seem to be failing, Dr George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, calls for prayer.

What for? Our desperate, despair-ridden farmers? The thousands whose livelihoods are affected by foot-and-mouth epidemic? For the victims of any of the other catastrophes that have recently hit our country?

No, Dr Carey asks us to pray for an HIV/AIDS centre in Hackney which is short of funds. I had better not comment further. - EA Moralee, Billingham.