LESSONS LEARNED AS FARMING PAID THE PRICE
As we mark 20 years since Foot and Mouth, Melanie Squires, regional director South West NFU looks back at lessons learned
AHIGHLY infectious disease that can spread even when symptoms are not apparent. Computer models used as the basis for strict enforcement measures, which come at a huge cost. Politicians struggling to get ahead of the outbreak. Thousands of people having their movements restricted and their livelihoods affected.
That sounds like a scenario ripped from the headlines, as of course it is, but they are the headlines from two decades ago when the country was in the grip of foot and mouth. The disease hit the South West particularly hard and there are plenty of people still around who recall those dark days.
Around four million animals were slaughtered in the UK due directly to foot and mouth and another two million for associated welfare reasons.
The Royal Society estimated that this resulted in losses of some £3.1 billion. The uncompensated cost to the UK livestock sector was estimated by the NFU to be around £900m. Around 9,200 workers were laid off and about 3,200 farmers left the industry.
Despite some striking parallels, I don’t seek to directly compare what happened in 2001 with the challenges posed by coronavirus, but it is true to say that, as an industry, we learned a lot about infectious diseases in animals and evolved the way our livestock systems operate.
So, whilst recognising – as we should – the havoc and devastation that devastating episode caused for farming families, those who worked with them and the wider rural community, I want to look forwards, not back, and show how livestock farming today continues to play a vital role for our region, both socially and financially.
Agriculture contributes about £1.6bn to the economy of the South West every year and is part of a food industry worth £110bn to the UK.
Livestock are the foundation of the South West’s traditional mixed farms, underpin our local food production and are home to 1.7m cattle and 3.2m sheep and lambs. The integration of livestock with arable systems means that we can utilise their manure to provide organic fertiliser that keeps soils fertile, and farm animals play a vital role in reducing weeds in food crops as well as helping to store and sequester carbon.
Our temperate climate, whilst sometimes frustrating, provides perfect conditions for grass growth, due to extensive rainfall and mild winters – we have 1.1m hectares of grassland in the South West. In fact, around 65% of our farmland is only suitable for growing grass for animals to eat. Grazing livestock on this land allows us to turn inedible grass into delicious, nutrient-rich beef and lamb.
That’s why, more than 10 years ago, the NFU, with key industry partners, led the way to establish the South West Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) for beef and lamb, to add value to the livestock sector and make our homegrown meat the first choice for consumers.
It’s the NFU’s ambition for agriculture to be net-zero for greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and livestock are the key to achieving this – not just part of the problem as they are sometimes painted.
About 70% of a typical British cattle herd’s diet is grass. The remainder of their diet comes from by-products or silage and grains from other crops unsuitable for human use. This helps minimise greenhouse gas emissions from food waste in the supply chain.
Did you know that 200 million tonnes of carbon are stored in England’s uplands alone? And grasslands could be a more reliable carbon sink than woodland. Grasslands sequester most of their carbon underground, while forests store it mainly in woody biomass and leaves. If trees are burned, the carbon they formerly stored is released back to the atmosphere.
Of course, we know we need both. In the South West we are far from at the back of the grid, but we can do more, not only to manage climate change but also to meet our aspirations to help nature and increase biodiversity.
Farmers are uniquely placed to deliver these things – as long as they can provide an income for their families and all the people who work for and with them. Well-managed grazing produces food and fibre whilst protecting our natural capital, keeping the soil covered with vegetation, improving water storage, preventing erosion, maintaining water quality, and providing wildlife habitats.
Not only that, but it produces a landscape that millions of people every year love to come and see – and they spend money locally whilst doing so, enjoying our fantastic food culture too. According to the Tourism Alliance the industry brings £11bn to our region and employs 21,000 people.
So livestock play a vital role for our region in many different ways and, in 2021, we are in a very different place than we were in 2001. We now have electronic identification and tracing systems for our animals and rehearsed contingency plans in the unlikely event of another disease outbreak. Along with advances in science, data, monitoring and disease control, and some of the highest welfare standards in the world, this helps reduce the risk and impact of diseases like foot and mouth.
These days, quite rightly, we also take looking after our mental and physical wellbeing much more seriously, which makes us more resilient as we look to a bright future for our farmers, for many generations to come.
I want to look forwards, not back, and show how livestock farming today continues to play a vital role for our region, both socially and financially
MELANIE SQUIRES, REGIONAL DIRECTOR SOUTH WEST NFU