Or will they discover that procedures administered by some bureaucrat are at fault?
The foot and mouth outbreak on a British farm was linked to a nearby laboratory Saturday, sparking fears of a leak at the animal research facility.
The environment ministry revealed the virus strain discovered on a farm near London was not normally found in animals and was similar to one being used at the Pirbright laboratory just a few kilometres away.
“It is most similar to strains used in international diagnostic laboratories and in vaccine production, including at the Pirbright site shared by the Institute of Animal Health and Merial Animal Health Ltd..
“This strain is present at the IAH and was used in a batch manufactured in July 2007 by the Merial facility. On a precautionary basis Merial has agreed to voluntarily halt vaccine production.
The effects of this disease – and the “cure” – destroyed rural economies in many parts of the UK in 2001. Bans on British beef are already falling into place.
This is a damn shame. Britain had just got the ok for sale of beef to Europe after the last episode. Many different beef parts had still been banned. Now they will face another complete ban, and I’ll bet you a million dollars the lab won’t eat the costs.
Ever wonder what kind of frozen specimens are in a chest freezer in the hall of a lab building protected by a hasp and a ten dollar lock?
#1. You’re right, they’re denying they did it. Standard operating procedure for insurance reasons, I expect. Foot and Mouth disease, like Scrapie and probably some other meningeal diseases, have a long soil life, able to survive for years, maybe even for decades, only to appear after a wet summer.
Nature designed beef to roam the countryside, fertilizing soil for crops.
Using the extra milk is a bonus.
They aren’t meant to be eaten – nature is fighting back.
#2 – all the time.
Especially after I read King’s “The Stand” again…
Procedures administered by some bureaucrat …”
Which would be worse that or an article written by some journalist who is an expert JUST FOR TODAY in Foot and Mouth Disease.