[Jacob-list] ALBC & Foot & Mouth

[Thomas Simmons]

Ok folks....I spoke to Don Bixby at ALBC about 2-3 weeks ago concerning a united response against the USDA's 20-mile cull radius should FMD arrive, especially as regards rare breeds....I know that some others have been working on this from the Shetlands and Black Welsh Mountain lists, a camelid list, and others.  Well, apparently we finally have a head of steam: witness the below press release just issued by ALBC, which until now had not taken a stand:


For Immediate Release


Contact:

Donald E. Bixby, Executive Director dbixby at albc-usa.org 

Marjorie Bender, Program Coordinator mbender at albc-usa.org 

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, PO Box 477 

Pittsboro, NC 27312      919-542-5704 



Foot and Mouth Disease Threatens Rare Breeds

The following is excerpted from a letter from Lawrence Alderson, 
Secretariat of Rare Breeds International, 6 Harnage, Shrewsbury, 
Shropshire SY5 6EJ, UK, Tel: +44 (0)1952 510030 


"I am sure that you all will have some idea of the development and 
progress of the current Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak in UK, but there 
will be many points which are not clear or which you wish to explore 
further. I am taking this opportunity to paint the background picture."

"Rare Breeds International has been monitoring the situation, and has 
been making representations to the appropriate veterinary and political 
authorities to ensure that important genetic stocks are not slaughtered 
unnecessarily. At this stage the impact on endangered breeds has been 
relatively slight, but some important genetic stocks of non-rare breeds 
have been lost. In particular, the heartland of the Cheviot (South 
Country) sheep and Galloway cattle has been severely affected, and the 
Devon focus has affected Devon cattle and Devon Closewool sheep to a 
lesser degree."

"Among rare breeds there have been significant losses among British Lop, 
which has a very small population, and Gloucestershire Old Spots pigs. 
There have been smaller losses among Manx Loghtan, Hebridean, Whitefaced 
Woodland and Castlemilk Moorit sheep and Dexter cattle. This is not an 
exhaustive list, and the situation is developing so rapidly that any 
survey is soon out of date. Agreement has been reached with the 
authorities that important pedigreed stocks will be evaluated with 
special care before any slaughter order is approved. It is not possible 
at this stage to give any forecast of the likely progress of the 
outbreak. It is still out of control. Since the army was drafted to 
assist, the rate of slaughter and disposal has improved, but it will 
remain a process of 'catch-up' for some time owing to the inadequate 
measures taken in the early stages. The incidence of new cases continues 
at a high level fuelled partly by the slowness of diagnosis and 
slaughter." 

"Financial problems for individual farmers relate mainly to loss of 
production as farms may not be re-stocked until six months after the last 
outbreak in the area. For some farms that might mean empty fields and 
barns for more than a year. There is no compensation for consequential 
loss. Fortunately, the valuation of fallen stock is being maintained at 
reasonable levels, and in most cases seems to be taking account of the 
cost of replacement in a depleted livestock population." 

"On a political front, the two major points of discussion are the use of 
vaccination and the timing of the general election. The first has 
generated powerful feelings and argument on both sides; the second is an 
unfortunate intrusion of political motives into a major crisis of animal 
health and national interest. The relevant argument of animal health 
(vaccination) has now moved to Europe, and RBI will be involved in a 
deeper scrutiny of methods of agricultural production which have been 
highlighted not only by Foot and Mouth Disease, but also by earlier 
problems of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or "Mad Cow Disease"), 
genetically modified foods, E coli, salmonella, etc."

If you are outraged by what is happening in Europe, the American 
Livestock Breeds Conservancy urges you to make your feelings known.

  1.. Call Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman (202) 720-3631. 
  2.. Call President Bush (202) 456-1414 to let him know that rare breeds 
need special consideration if Foot and Mouth Disease comes to North 
America. 
  3.. Write a short, hard-hitting statement about this issue and fax it 
to Secretary Veneman at her office in the USDA and to President Bush at 
the White House. FAX to USDA at (202) 720-2166 and the White House at 
(202) 456-2461. Many times big business and big government shunts phone 
calls off to machines, but thousands of faxes expressing outrage and 
concern make a powerful statement by themselves. If you don't get through 
the first time, try again. 
  4.. Call your Congressional Representatives. U.S. Congress switchboard 
(202) 224-3121 can connect you to your Senators and Representative. Tell 
your Congressional Representative and Senators that they need to call and 
write Agriculture Secretary Veneman and President Bush to let them know 
about the special needs of rare breeds of livestock.
ALBC will be posting future notices about Foot and Mouth Disease and its 
implication for rare breeds on our web site www.albc-usa.org

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) is dedicated to the 
conservation and promotion of endangered breeds of American livestock and 
poultry. ALBCís conservation efforts include research on breed status and 
characteristics; developing breed specific strategies for conservation; 
maintaining a gene bank of rare breeds; strengthening the stewardship 
skills of breeders through various educational venues; and educating the 
public through workshops, conferences and publications. ALBC is the only 
organization in the United States that does this important work. 
Established in 1977, ALBC is a national, non-profit, membership 
organization based in Pittsboro, North Carolina. For more information 
about breed conservation, to join, and to contribute to ALBCís efforts, 
contact PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC, 27312, (919) 542-5704, 
www.albc-usa.org.



So there it is folks...

thom
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