Companies consider vaccine option

27 June 2001



Companies consider vaccine option

By FWi staff

ANIMAL medicine companies are to meet in London to discuss whether vaccination should be used to fight future foot-and-mouth outbreaks.

The Daily Telegraph reports that this follows pressure from the European Parliament to find an alternative to mass culling.

The meeting next month is organised by animal medicine trade association the National Office for Animal Health.

It will call for a change in EU policy before companies make the necessary investment for new vaccines.

Meanwhile, Tory Agriculture spokesman Tim Yeo has renewed calls for a full, independent public inquiry into the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Speaking during the Queens Speech debate, Mr Yeo said he had never known the farming community to be so demoralised.

He called for a full recovery plan to get farming back on track.

On a wider note, Mr Yeo accused the government of being indifferent to whether or not farming survived, reports The Telegraph.

“I dont believe any other industry would have been allowed to suffer in this way by a Labour Government without a package of emergency measures,” he said.

Three new cases of foot-and-mouth were confirmed in Cumbria on Tuesday (26 June) taking the UK total to 1788.

• The Daily Telegraph, 27 June 2001, page 11 and 12