Fishing - MRSA - Pigs - Conservative reaction

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:56:05 -0000, "Pat Gardiner"
wrote:

Pat's Note: Here we have the chairman of Yorkshire-based international
pig-breeding company ACMC writing to Cameron complaining about his lack of
interest in the problems of the pig industry.

It is a curious lapse. ACMC's attempt to get some powerful people involved
is understandable. He does not mention MRSA, well he wouldn't, would he?
But that is the real worry.

Defra is going to try to blame the stakeholders once the truth emerges. It
is inconceivable that the Conservatives don't know about the health state of
Britain's pigs, even if they don't know officially that they have MRSA; they
must know the government has not tested for it.

They have even had one of their grandees, and a former Agriculture Minister,
on the board of the biggest feed supplier - and living in pig country.

Pigs and MRSA are simply too hot to handle. Everyone is trying to get
themselves into a position of being able to deny all knowledge of the
problem, even when it offers the chance of dealing a fatal blow to the
government.

So, it has become a case of "don't mention the pigs." Keep clear of pigs at
all costs.

The pig and veterinary industries are being set up to take blame that
belongs to the government veterinarians and politicians who should have
exposed the problem are going to offer no help or protection.

http://www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/...rons-omissions

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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ACMC Slams Cameron's 'Omissions'
UK - Stephen Curtis (pictured), chairman of Yorkshire-based international
pig-breeding company ACMC, has written to David Cameron, leader of the
Conservative party, about two serious omissions from his speech delivered at
the NFU's centenary meeting.

While Mr Cameron acknowledged the crisis caused by the leak of
foot-and-mouth virus from the government-regulated Institute of Animal
Health, the subsequent financial losses of many millions of pounds were not
mentioned. These losses, caused from the ban on exports of meat and live
animals, plus the severe consequential losses following disruption of trade
caused by movement restrictions within the UK, have been catastrophic.

Mr Curtis also believes the fact that 50 per cent of the food bought by
government institutions is imported and that should also have been
highlighted in Mr Cameron's speech.

"The food bought by schools, hospitals, the armed forces and prisons is all
paid for by taxpayers' money," Mr Curtis points out.
He accepted Mr Cameron's suggestion that traceability and labelling should
be enforced. Purchasing meat products that do not comply with Britain's high
welfare systems means that this country had simply "exported cruelty".

"Commercial pig producers have lost money on pigs produced for the food
chain almost every year for the last decade due to added cost of production
(namely, high British welfare standards), the strong pound (cheap imports)
and disease (FMD 2001 and 2007). This is why the national pig herd has
shrunk by 50 per cent," said Mr Curtis. "Britain is only 30 per cent
self-sufficient in pigmeat products. Is this something we should be proud
of?" he questioned.

Mr Curtis supported most of the points aired by Mr Cameron's, but felt that
these important financial points - which had a direct bearing on farming
business - should be taken on board by the opposition party.