Proper tragedy

RE: Proper tragedy

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 15:30:06 GMT

Whilst taxpayers money is wasted on benefits for the undeserving.

However our profession was historically guilty of cowardly silence for 2/3rds of a century whilst cheap diseased (mainly) Argentinian meat was being imported, and James Scudamore should have told Tony Blair to take a running jump when he (a lay person) dared say he was taking personal charge. Having presided over the worst animal disease catastrophe in living memory, James Scudamore was awarded a CB when he retired. I wonder why?

Wynne

RE: Proper tragedy

Bob Russell — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 15:05:30 GMT

Don't take it out on our profession. Take it out on the politicians and petty bureaucrats who starved the profession of what little support it got and failed to listen to the views of many vets.

Even dodgy TB testing can be traced back to a lack of involvement by MAFF/DEFRA. I don't remember any supervision or CPD from the day I became an LVI. This was because ministry jobs were cut and cut. Now it is in the hands of eastern and southern European vets, being paid a pittance! Meat inspection went the same way a number of years ago and horsemeat/welfare scandals were aided.

They are still not listening and have not learned any lessons!

Everything done on the cheap!

RE: Proper tragedy

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 12:51:22 GMT

FMD has shown our profession at it's worst - from failing to vociferously condemn the imporataion of cheap infected meat (mainly from Argentina) during the 1st 2/3rds of the 20th century, to the craven failure to take control in 2001.

The result has been that millions upon millions of animals suffered dreadfully, and lost their lives needlessly.

Wynne

RE: Proper tragedy

Iain Richards — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 12:38:39 GMT

Alex Donaldson's article is well worth the read. It's to the point and explains just how flawed the models that shaped government policy were. Not only flawed, but implemented after the epidemic peaked.