Foot and mouth.

Subject: Foot and mouth.
From: Fergie
Date: 18 Mar 01 - 12:27 PM

I was at the Goilín singers club in Dublin on Friday and one of the Mudcatters got a rousing reception when he sang a song about the F&M outbreak in England, could he please publish the words for us all to see. Also has anybody got other songs about Foot and mouth. Also so that there should be no mistake The Republic of Ireland is totally foot and mouth free, all measures being taken here are to prevent the disease coming here from our nearest (and dearest) neighbour.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Jeri
Date: 18 Mar 01 - 01:12 PM

There's a song posted in uk.music.folk here: Fire in the Fields. Written by Tony Brode after the last outbreak in 1967.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Greyeyes
Date: 18 Mar 01 - 05:26 PM

Previous F&M threads can be found here

and here

Both contain relevant song lyrics.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Mar 01 - 01:04 PM

I think we should cancel the general election - and local ones if that is legal. The pre-emptive cull is only a percentage tactic, so would cancelling the the election be. But if we are serious it is a minor annoyance and only to the encumbant government anyway.

Either that or we could go for a pre-emptive cull of politicians. All those in favour.........

I wrote to my MP on this matter. I am by and large a non-political animal so this is a first for me.

I just hate this kind of political arrogance.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: nutty
Date: 19 Mar 01 - 01:14 PM

Two cases have just been confirmed in Tony Blair's constituancy so he won't be able to dodge the issue now

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Mar 01 - 01:47 PM

I haven't written one about foot and mouth - but click here for one I did about BSE, a few years back.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 19 Mar 01 - 05:42 PM

That was me! I've put it in another thread but will link it here when I get a chance.

Regards

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Mar 01 - 06:11 PM

The song is in the second link (the "and here" one) in Greyeyes' post above.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Lanfranc
Date: 19 Mar 01 - 07:25 PM

A non-selective cull of politicians to eliminate foot in mouth and Munchausen Syndrome (not to mention overweening arrogance) would get my vote!

How many plagues did Egypt suffer?

I reckon we've still got a few to go!

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Hawker
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 05:31 AM

Alan,
Are you referring to plagues of politicians?LOL
Seems to be getting more serious down here
The handling by all still seems totally disorganised, they talk of culling healthy animals, but they can't even get it together on the culling of the sick ones here! what are they playing at?
And we still have local farmers illegally moving livestock!
Madness itself!
Lucy

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 10:03 AM

We have a theory that the whole way of dealing witht the current problem is the governments way of punishing the farmers for the fuel crisis. It is my understanding that in Argentina (where we get a lot of our corned beef) foot and mouth is indemic but not regarded as a major problem as it causes little or no harm to humans and cattle who survive become immune to it. Certainly the current situation where dead animals are stacked in fields for anything up to a week waiting for incineration can only be detrimental to public health and I would rather take my chances with foot and mouth.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Maryrrf
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 12:15 PM

The whole foot and mouth issue is kind of confusing to me. If it doesn't affect humans, and it isn't fatal to the animals, why is it such a big deal? It just seems so extreme to kill healthy animals and close off the countryside to tourists, etc.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Mr Red
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 12:46 PM

Maryrrf

Yes but would you buy food that was "no longer" diseased or "never" diseased.

Public perception and marketing i$ the an$wer.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 02:00 PM

F&M is no threat to humans and eating animals infected with it would be no worse than eating a human or dog that had a cold. (For my own part I am happy to avoid eating all species, infected or not.) BSE on the other hand can transmit to humans as variant CJD.

Can't say I'm looking forward to the elections, such is the miserable choice, but equally I can't see a problem either. Mass meetings, hustings, heckling etc sadly fell by the wayside years ago, and most local campaigning/canvassing is totally eclipsed by a few soundbites on the news at ten. And thanks to new legislation since last time, we can all have a postal vote, just for the asking.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 04:20 PM

Yes but would you buy food that was "no longer" diseased or "never" diseased. (Mr Red)

There may be lots of reasons not to eat our fellow creatures, but the fact that they have had a few bouts of illness in their life and recovered aren't among them.

If I ever run up against cannibals, I hope they are as squeamish and consumerist as Mr Red assumes the rest of us are. "Honest, I can prove it - I had flu last winter. You don't want to eat me!" (After all, if I caught foot and mouth, the symptoms would be very similar to those in a moderate bout of flu.)

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Penny S.
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 04:49 PM

I have heard accounts that the effects of the disease can be worse than unpleasant in some beasts - I haven't heard of people's tongues dropping out from flu, or sores eating right through a leg. It is therefore a welfare issue. However, the current methods seem a bit extreme, especially as they aren't working.

Penny

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Sourdough
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 01:50 AM

It isn't fair to think that just because F&M doesn't affect humans we should let it run rampant. Farming methods are the reason for the spread of the disease. I think that one important reason for taking F&M so seriously is that it can run rampant through wildlife.

One of the problems of a market based economy is the drive to lower prices without regard to the price the environment pays so F&M spreads because of the factory methods of livestock farming and the need to move stressed animals around the country.

Stressed animals get sick and become a reservoir of sickness infecting otherwise healthy animals.

Does anyone here have some first-hand information about F&M? I am reciting some predigested (if you will excuse the expression) news stories.

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Llanfair
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 04:27 AM

Sourdough, try the MAFF site, it gives a lot of information. The Foot&Mouth II thread also has some information.
Whatever the pros and cons of the action being taken, communities are being devastated, buisinesses are being ruined (and not just farmers), and a lot of animals are dying.
Bron.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: nutty
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 05:00 AM

The MAFF site ( www.maff.gov.uk ) is even more frightening than what you read in the papers.

At least when reading the paper you can pretend that it's journalistic licence whereas when reading this site - the whole thing becomes even more horrific as you realise just how much of the country is affected

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 05:18 AM

One can only hope, Fergie will find the song information she has asked for among all those posts.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth - song
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 08:52 AM

Wolfgang, I believe it was found when Greyeyes linked to the other threads. Martin Ryan sang the song, and posted it. It's here - Foot and Mouth Disease (J Burke, Donegal).

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 09:02 AM

Yes, Jeri, I believe so too.
It was my very very indirect way of saying that there are two foot and mouth threads for discussions already running and this thread here was a request for one particular song and other songs about foot and mouth.
It is just my personal preference that these things should be kept in different threads.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Fergie
Date: 22 Mar 01 - 08:36 PM

Eh! this she is by the way a he, yes I have got the words of the song and yes it was Martin Ryan sang the song and he did a very good rendition of it as well, thanks Martin. But the dreaded F & M is now in Ireland agus is more an trua e sin. Thanks everybody for their contribution.

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: GUEST,peg in florida
Date: 22 Mar 01 - 08:41 PM

For those of you familiar with The Witches' Voice (www.witchvox.com), Wren and Fritz received word from some witches and others in Ireland that they will be holding a major healing ritual for the hoof and mouth epidemic which now has its first confirmed case in the Irish Republic.

It will be Saturday March 24th at 9 pm Ireland time...

I would imagine any prayers, magic or thoughts you could offer would be welcome at that time! Other witches across Britain have been working magic nightly at 9 pm...lighting white candles and praying for healing and a halt to the spread of the disease.

Peg

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: Wolfgang
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 03:11 AM

sorry about the 'she'; second time I wrongly assumed in Mudcat I could tell the gender from a name.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Foot and mouth.
From: GUEST,Greyeyes
Date: 23 Mar 01 - 08:39 AM

The reason we are not eating the contaminated meat is because it is theoretically possible for the virus to mutate and become a risk to humans, precisely as has happened with BSE/CJD. Anyone who feels comfortable about eating meat contaminated with foot & mouth should think very carefully about the possible consequences. It was only a few years ago that a Tory MP was filmed publicly feeding his small children beefburgers to demonstrate how safe British beef was, so certain were the government that humans couldn't catch BSE from the meat of infected cattle.