Foot and mouth: crisis at the door

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Newspapers across continental Europe are signalling alarm about the spreading foot and mouth disease in Britain.

However, there is also a sigh of relief that the latest crisis seems to have spared most of Europe so far.

The Irish Independent's headline sums up the republic's fears of infection, fuelled not least by the close proximity of the United Kingdom.

In its commentary, entitled "Crisis at the door," the Independent paints a doomsday scenario of what might happen should the virus infection spread across the Irish Sea.

"An outbreak in Ireland would devastate the entire agriculture industry, which in relative terms is far more important than in Britain."

Liberation in France echoes Irish concerns. Liberation's front page shows a gruelling picture of cattle incineration in Britain, entitled, "Europe: the agriculture earthquake."

Referring to epidemics that ravaged mediaeval Europe, the paper comments that "First we had the pest, and now we have cholera."

"The general crisis of European farming may well have its centre in Britain at the moment, but it also marks a crisis within French agriculture policies," the paper comments, hinting at the disputes over financial compensation for farmers hit by the latest farming crisis.

Italy's Corriere della Sera focuses on the problems and issues faced by the European Union in light of both the mad cow crisis and the foot and mouth disease.

"Nature rebels," is the catchy headline of an article outlining the views of the Piemonte region's veterinary services chief, Mario Valpreda.

The expert warns about what he sees as a lack of animal hygiene standards, aggravated by the globalisation of animal and meat trade.

"In animal farming, hygiene is fundamental. This means good feed, clean stables as well as well tended animals that are checked regularly," says Valpreda,.

He is also calling for scaled-down farming to improve quality. "Europe must do for animals what it did for wine: produce less, and avoid all (feed) additives that do not make sense."

Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung says the current crisis proves that the global trade practices do not necessarily apply to agriculture products. But it also warns that we should not romanticise the past and believe that old-style farming was healthier for consumers.

The Munich-based paper admits that "food and mouth disease is a giant economic problem" that could ruin the livelihoods of many farmers. But it adds that the disease is "not a threat to people's health."

In an editorial entitled "In the mouth of the epidemic," Sueddeutsche says that tough measures must now be implemented, including stepped-up hygiene and control measures, culling infected herds, a ban on animal trade and imports as well as a comprehensive vaccination scheme.

Europe vets to extend UK meat ban
February 26, 2001
Massive foot-and-mouth cull begins
February 24, 2001
Outbreak sparks UK meat shortage fears
February 24, 2001

European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease

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