28th April - Daily Telegraph claim 'Exclusive Story' of how FMD outbreak started Army 'caused original foot and mouth infection' The Telegraph is rather 'late' of their Exclusive', this was already mentioned in an exclusive article in Northumberland News. Wakey, wakey Telegraph!!

19th April - NFU shows its true colours by NOT supporting vaccination - claims farmers split 50/50 to vaccinate - Government dithers.

18th April - OFFICIAL - The Government is carefully considering using vaccination as part of the strategy for controlling Foot and Mouth Disease. Scientific and veterinary advice to Ministers is that a very limited programme of vaccinating cattle in Cumbria, and possibly Devon, is justified as a means of protecting animals.

16th April - Government about to do a U turn - Vaccination imminent

16th April - Tourists flock to seaside resorts over Easter break - countryside tourism remains bleak

12th April - The foot-and-mouth outbreak is finally "flattening out", the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser says.Professor David King says the latest figures on the crisis showed there was now a steady decrease in the average number of new cases being recorded each day.He says the average number for the week ending April 8 stood at 32 a day, compared with 43 for the previous week. The figures for Tuesday and Monday - 41 and 29 respectively - were "in line with the declining trend".

11th April - FARMERS were last night accused by the Army of deliberately infecting their livestock with the foot-and-mouth virus to cash in on the emergency. An NFU official stated, "There is no justification for the Government to blame farmers, and that ministers were trying to create a smokescreen to “take the heat off themselves”.

8th April 2001 - In a reply to an email I recently sent Professor Wyn Grant at Warwick University he states "In the debate about foot and mouth, much material has been recycled and gone over endlessly, but you have opened up a new angle. I must admit that I was not aware of the evident lack of specific regulations in this area. This must be a matter for concern". I am delighted that one of the most eminent persons in our scientific community is taking my research seriously!! Ed.

8th April 2001 - Following a rally in London by the Chinese community, Nick Brown admitted that it was not Chinese restaurants or their meat trade in the UK that was to blame for the FMD outbreak. Chinese Restaurant trade has been down 40% throughout the UK since they were wrongfully accused of importing infected meat in Newcastle.

7th April 2001 - I received this most interesting Email - Ed. "If you were to plot the incidents of reported (!) FMD cases in Devon it is noticeable how the spread of the virus has been broadly along river valleys, especially the Rivers Lew and Torridge/Waldon. Would it surprise you to know that large herds of Red deer (yes red deer! I have counted herds in excess of 50 head on several occasions) travel many miles up and down these valleys on a regular basis. (Roe deer are largely territorial and do not normally travel great distances). It has been alleged that at least two deer have been shot in the Lewdown area and found to be badly infected with FMD. What is being done? Nothing."

Election or Infection - Tony Blair has postponed the local (and presumably) the General Election until 7th June, because of the FMD crisis. He should have left the date open. I don't believe the disease will have peaked until August, and could continue into 2002. Ed.

29th March 2001 - A vaccination 'firewall' programme is being considered by the Government for 200,000 animals at risk from FMD. A decision is expected by Saturday. The problems of vaccination: 1) There are seven different types of FMD viruses and over 50 sub-strains. The current Asian 'O' virus is what we have, but one can't guarantee that the others won't strike. 2) Vaccination is not 100% successful, and vaccinated animals will still carry the virus, and can spread it. 3) Every susceptible animal would have to be vaccinated every 6 months. 4) If we did vaccinate the UK would not be classified a 'FMD Free Zone' and we could never export meat or animals. The only way that vaccine could be used was to create a firewall, but the problem is how far and wide does one create that firewall, especially when wind can carry the virus over 40 miles on land, and 180 miles by sea! The current situation is very critical. Ed.

28th March 2001- The Prime Minister announced that there were possibly 1.3 million movements of susceptible animals throughout the country prior to the FMD outbreak. This is an incredible indictment of pure and utter folly on the part of Government to protect our interests, and our safety.

27th March 2001 - 4.15pm from the House of Commons Nick Brown admits Heddon-on-The -Wall is most likely location where the FMD outbreak occurred, and proposes to ban of pig swill, but only after consultation with various interested parties - made no mention, or was questioned about in-flight galley waste There should be an immediate ban on pig swill and enforcement of imported meat from FMD countries and enforcement of aircraft waste disposal - Ed.

27th March 2001 - The Times reported today "Infected meat, probably imported illegally from the Far East, went to the unnamed restaurant in the North East and the waste ended up in pigswill fed to pigs at Heddon-on-the-Wall in Northumberland, Nick Brown will tell MPs today". Sounds plausible, but the authorities are still NOT investigating my claims the virus was in Aircraft galley waste food illegally 'sold' to the pig swill merchant. But WHY should a Chinese Restaurant in Newcastle bother importing meat all the way from the Far East when local supplies are relatively cheap and plentiful? Ed.Is this a ploy from the Ministry of Disinformation to cover their previous and current lack of enforcement and incineration of aircraft galley waste??

Latest BBC Report 25th March The BBC stated - "The UK only bans the use of uneaten airline dinners in swill, because of the risk that food sourced from abroad could carry disease with it." This is NOT true - there is NO specific legislation governing this. My contact who works for a large airline catering firm at Gatwick states "All uneaten galley food and food particle waste goes into the same bins for collection - we have no way of controlling it's distribution should it end up as swill" - Ed. Note: Other major "FMD Free" countries incinerate this waste (see below)

24th March - The Government is poised to ban pig swill (3 weeks after Rip-Off Britain reported this WAS the probable cause of the FMD outbreak). Although pig swill only accounts for less than 2% of swine feed, only one infected swill delivery is all that was needed.