Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, October 18th, 2001 3 ws.co.uk Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified), www.eastlancashireonline.co.uk


Gisburn culling leads to criticism of biosecurity at DEFRA centre


by Robbie Robinson '-XX •V"


A CULL of sheep at Gisbum has led to renewed criticism of biose­ curity standards at the DEFRA


operations centre in the village. A flock of 57 sheep and lambs were


slaughtered after one of them was found to be foot and mouth disease sero-positive following routine blood testing. A retest found two animals positive and they were all killed as a precaution. DEFRA has explained th a t the


presence of antibodies does not in itself indicate the presence of live and therefore infectious virus. However, local farmers and Ribble Valley residents have expressed alarm that


DEFRA Forward Allocations Centre have been exposed to the disease. Some have criticised the depart­


animals kept close to the


Young dancers sweep the <we^ aliye board in Devon contest | and kicki<


, ing. i: "We are


support this which pro- portunity for


ts to find out wide range of ilable in the om the people


cture shows :d Olivia with te during the


goes trial


esulted in a man being itand trial at iwn Court. Savin Joseph 2), of Nelson theroe, app- re Blackburn


ent in a own centre


arm \ - ’g


,es, charged ing g r iev io u s to publican


Jrook. ik, licensee of Inn, Lower- said to have broken nose


m x, a


iring the inci- the Starkie ,stle Street, ; wife, Mrs k, is licensee. ,vas remanded til November e preparation tal papers.


woman had


stolen by a ir who asked ■ her car radi-


hittam Cres-


halley, resident ticed her purse,


ing £26, was


lleged offender is ed as a white _ 3 19 or 20, 5ft 11, with collar dark, curly hair.


blame


) had carried tnd which had out" over the est. Sutheran, Cas-


nt general man- Jlitheroe, said:


demonstrates at dust can be


sd over a wide to atmospheric vhich can have to do with the


vorks. Castle Cement


itinue to main- dose scrutiny on ations," he add-


T I O N -i


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YOUNG dancers from the Ribble Valley undertook an arduous three-day trip to Devon and returned laden


with trophies and prizes. The 18 youngsters from Nigel


Kirk's Danceworks picked up four titles and 62 prizes when they competed at Haven Holiday Camp, Exmouth, against 800 dancers from all over Britain. Mr Kirk has been teaching


100 children at Danceworks in St Paul's Parish Rooms, Low


iV-^jnv


Moor, for the last three years. The former chef, who began


dancing at the age of five, had always wanted to teach. Not only has he achieved his ambition, but he is on the national committee of the Imperial Society of Teachers


of Dancing. "They did wonderfully well, he


said.Title winners from Danceworks were: Gemma Cocker (Darwen), under-16s floor dance; Katie Holden (Waddington), under-14 floor dance; Chelsea Finch


* < 4i **


(Blackburn), under-10 freestyle; Vicky Eskdale (Langho) and Claire Aspden (Langho), under- 16 beginners pairs; Katie Holder and Laura Biggs (West Brad­


ford), under-14 pairs. Pictured at St Paul's Parish


Hall displaying their trophies are, front row, from the left; Laura Beggs, Donna Procter, Katie Holden. Back, Clare Aspden, Vicci Eskdale, Gemma Cocker, Lucy Knowles and Rachel Harg­ reaves.


(P13101/1)


Area’s ‘better-off’ status brings breast cancer high


MORE breast cancer cases than average can be expect­ ed in the Ribble Valley because of its high economic


status!Health chiefs pointed out this week that women who are better


. off financially have a bigger chance of developing the disease. A recent report revealed higher-


than-average breast cancer rates in Clitheroe - a figure seized on by at least some local air-quality


' The East Lancashire average, against a national base figure_of 100, is 106, but Clitheroe's is 121. The four wards comprising


campaigners.


• Bolton-by-Bowland, Chatburn, Grammar School and West Brad­


ford and Grindleton returned a figure of 133, on the face of it giv­ ing women there a one-third greater chance of contracting the disease than the national average. But an East Lancashire Area


and so breast cancer rates will to take this into account."


Health Authority statement to the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times this week emphasised that the local averages were drawn from a small number of cases. They needed to be treated with caution. Random year-on-year fluctuations could be involved. But the statement went on:


"Breast cancer is one of the very few serious diseases which are more common in people of higher


social class. "Ribble Valley is more affluent


than the rest of East Lancashire f e - U


V ’ -'I '


m . ' - ' i v 4-


| explore the role of the I media, local press and journalists during the foot and mouth crisis. On Wednesday, Mr


Chipping will be the focus of five Grass Roots rural community forum evenings beginning on Tuesday, when an evening forum will


The village hall at -


ment's biosecurity arrangements and procedures, claiming that they are not adequate for the purposes of such a mobile operation, criticism which has been voiced throughout the crisis. DEFRA has repeated that its biose­


The animals culled at Gisburn .


slaughtered. At the time, a DEFRA spokesman told the Clitheroe Adver­ tiser and Times that there were no plans to slaughter any animals at Gis­


. . . . , bum.


curity arrangements are appropriate, particularly as officials are instructed to cleanse thoroughly before returning to the centre.


belonged to Mr Darryll Capstick, foreman for Richard Turner and Son at the auction mart there. The sheep had been on pasture across the road from the auction mart car park on which the DEFRA centre is situat-


ed.


returned negative blood tests so have not been culled. These animals, two cows and a calf, are not owned by Mr


Cattle kept with them have ,


Capstick. The cull followed rumours 10 days


ago tnai ago that animals at Gisbum were to be


cised the biosecurity at the centre is so convinced that DEFRA operations have helped spread the disease that it has made every attempt to prevent ministry personnel from entering the


One farming family which has criti­ , . , , ...


farm.The family has employed its own vets to take blood samples of sheep, with DEFRA officials present as wit­ nesses only, so that the procedure con­ forms to departmental regulations. Members of the family said: "We've


_ _ t-\ttvcvd a ortH w p V p r tn t c o i n c t o r i s k i t and we're not going to risk it now.


rlaim that owing to that comment the wait for test results was very difficult for them, adding: "Those three weeks were horrendous." Since then the blood test results have been returned and have proved


negative. In common with the current proce­


done everything by the book regarding licensing and biosecurity, yet we are still being treated arrogantly by


DEFRA in Leeds. "We had to accept one D U 1 it A


--------------- ---------------------------------------


official, but we didn't allow him to touch any animals. We've got this far


dures regarding a cull after routine serological testing, tissue sampling was taken from the sheep at Gisburn for further examination. A DEFRA spokesman said that hopefully these will confirm that antibodies only are present and not live disease. However, should live virus be found,


Some paths are to reopen from tomorrow


Pnhli(. Public Right Of


the occurrence will be classed as a con­ firmed case and the full range of restrictions and contiguous cull rules will be applied.


: 7 7 Z T ;Tell the townies .


Way and access land in the area north of the road from Dunsop Bridge, via Newton, to Slaidburn and west of the North Lancashire Cycleway from Slaid­ burn to High Bentham. From High Bentham, the northern boundary follows the B6480 to Wennington, along the river Wenning to Horn­ by and up the A683 to its intersection with the railway line, where it crosses the river Lune to Arkholme. I t then fol­ lows the B6254 to Carn- forth, leaving along the A6 and the West Coast Main Line Railway until it leaves the county to the west of the M6 near Burton in Kendal. • Public Right Of


told them their cattle would be slaugh- r jg^ts of way in the following areas will be tered if blood tests of the sheep proved positive for FMD antibodies. They


The family said that DEFRA had FROM midnight tomorrow additional ed by Lancashire County Council­


,


-r ;„ht Of Way south of a line ' that follows the roads from Whalley to Portfield then following the Old Roman Road to Black Hill then to Height Top, then up to Roughlee as far as Blacko.


Blacko, following the road South East to Bev erley then North East along Road,


From


Barnoldswick then Standing


Stone Lane then down to Foulridge. From Foul- ridge East along Noyna Bottom, South down Cockhill Lane to the junction with Castle Road. From here follow­ ing the road North East to the Yorkshire border. A map showing the


area is to be released by Lancashire County Council and published in next week's issue.


Another Euro directive on farming is under fire


MEMBERS of the farming community in the Ribble Valley are fighting back to let "townies" know they are still alive and kick­


Banquet, Eating for Lancashire." Everything on a


mouth-watering menu has been sourced from the Bowland area. Also on Friday will be


workshops in basket­ making, willow crafts, wool crafts, weaving, felt-making and sustain­


Mike Donovan, editor of Practical Farm Ideas, will give a talk on farm­ ers as the new rural entrepreneurs. On Thursday, there


able woodland crafts. A spokesman for the


will be a lighter air, with an evening of traditional songs and modern tunes from the countryside


and farming. And the grand finale


on Friday will take the form of "the Bowland


forums said: "Many peo­ ple in the cities have been put off by the media, images of crisis in the countryside and feel th a t everything is all


right now. "However, rural com­


munities have to work harder than ever to win back their countryside visitors.


Poll says NFU was wrong on vaccination


A NATIONAL poll has shown the National Farmers Union was wrong in its advice to the Government regarding vaccination for


foot and mouth disease. Compassion in the Government to Pw rv.«w—-----


international cam­ paigning organisation specialising in farm animal welfare, has released results of the poll and has conclud­ ed that the NFU poli­ cy has been revealed as misleading.


I The NOP World poll I was undertaken during the last two weeks and asked two questions, which produced the fol­ lowing results. Question 1: Do you


think the Government should be vaccinating to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease,


or not? 79% said: "Yes, they


tend to be higher. The figures in . r -~- the report have not been adjusted ing.


rising throughout the country as well as in the Ribble Valley, but the death rate is falling, says the


health authority. "This is because cases of breast


cancer are being detected earlier through the successful breast screening programme and because treatment of breast can­ cer is improving. "Anyone who is worried that


early." — t-tt •rr'tvrzsrrasz New cases of breast cancer are | already buy Bntish beet, Question 2. If you .(


lamb or pork, would you continue to do so if the meat came from animals vaccinated against foot


and mouth disease? 80% said: "Yes, they


would buy." 14% said: "No, they


would not buy." 5% do not buy these


they have felt a lump in their breast should contact their doctor without delay. Treatment is more successful when it is started


meats. Mr Gary Reese, CIWF campaigns man­


ager said: "The NFU was the central organisa­ tion which pressurised


should be vaccinating." 21% said: "No, they should not be vaccinat-


World Farming, the oppose vaccination. This


uninformed and callous reaction by the NFU has led to the slaughter of 5.5 million animals." The CIWF has high­


ANOTHER European Union directive on farming has been criticised as damaging by Mr Nigel Evans. The MP for the Ribble Valley has questioned the latest EU rule which could restrict tractor driving


to three hours a day. He said: "Farmers incomes are hitting a low oi


number of hours that can be spent driving a tractor, will do further damage."


"Further intervention, such as a restriction on the ,


. . ,.


£2 000 per year and this rule would mean that farm­ ers’would need to employ more staff to help get the


harvest in, which in turn would further affect their incomes.


Directive, which, it is claimed, will cost British industry four billion pounds.


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O R B E solicitors


lighted the main point of the NFU argument against vaccination; that consumers would refuse to buy products from vaccinated animals. This, the organisation claims, has been proved to be an incorrect assess­


ment. Local campaigners


opposing the cull policy have indicated since the


start of the FMD crisis th a t consumers were never consulted and claim that the NFU was looking after its own interests. Mr Reese said: "The


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NFU not only failed to mention that cattle and sheep are already rou­ tinely vaccinated against other diseases, but they totally misjudged peo­ ple's willingness to eat meat vaccinated against FMD. Virtually all experts on FMD and vaccination have called for a pro-vaccination


policy.” He claimed that the


NFU had not put the interests of British farm­ ers, or the welfare of ani­


W f . ""rzT.


mals, first. "This issue is so clear


for all to see that even the vast majority - about 80% - of the gen­ eral public believes the Government should be vaccinating." Mr Rodney Bacon,


policy adviser for the NFU in the North West, said: "The NFU has never said a blanket 'no' to vaccination. "The issue needs care­


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ful consideration in terms of the current out­ break and of any future strategy. We do appear to be winning at the moment with the policy which is in place." He pointed out the


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Government Chief Sci­ entist's


NFU's position on vacci­ nation has been misrep­ J resented in many quar-


remained that the use of vaccination in the cur­ rent epidemic would not be appropriate. He added: "The


judgment ters.' 6


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t T R A F R AM E l< t: 1 .1 l J D i V h I « «


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