August 4/07

Great Britain has diagnosed an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Surrey, England. Follow the developments through the web at www.warmwell.com.

As of now they are looking at eliminating the infected herd, isolating the farm, and considering vaccination of other ruminants and swine. UK farmers are calling for the use of on-site testing to verify safety status of herds and flocks.

With the Farm Bill still in discussion, and very much up in the air, we need to make sure that our representatives know that NAIS isn't necessary in this country. Why not?

* No FMD has been found in this country since 1929. Stopping importation from countries with active infections will keep this country safe.

* The USA is considerably larger than the UK, including the numbers needed to make NAIS feasible. The NAIS database will be monstrous in size and difficult, if not impossible, to use.

*Supporting farmers through USDA assistance, rather than strictly enforcement, and through encouraging more large animal vets to be trained will make this country's animals safer, not regulation and tracking.