The Foot and Mouth Epidemic in England a couple or so years ago will never be forgotten.

 

Hundreds and thousands of animals were slaughtered, needlessly in many cases as a precaution to prevent the disease from spreading.

 

There was an air of deep depression and sadness over the whole country but particularly amongst country people themselves.

 

Precious animals were slaughtered where they stood, even if there was nothing wrong with them, newspapers reported horror stories of how sheep were killed in their fields with rifles because they couldn't be caught, many were left to die in agony.  People had to be restrained whilst the ' men from the ministry' came in and killed their pets in their own gardens.  It is something that will never go away.

 

Out in the countryside was a sad and heartbreaking site, there were nothing but empty fields, where there should have been lambs, cows and calves, instead  there were huge fires - funeral pyres- burning the carcases of the dead.  The air was filled with the stench, and hearts were filled with despair.

 

Personally, I had to have disinfected straw at both entrances to my 'place' so that cars would be able to get their wheels cleansed, buckets had to be provided for visitors to dip their feet into, needless to say, visiting was cut to the bone, people couldn't even walk their dogs in public places for fear of contracting or spreading this terrible plague.

 

At  this time, I had just got my three sheep, one had a terrible limp from arthritis and I lived in fear that it would be spotted and she and her companions would have to be put down.  There was a five mile area around each place that had a reported case, everything in that area whether infected or not had to be destroyed, the nearest I got was 4 miles !! People tried to  hide their animals, some even brought them into the house, some tried to keep them safe by not letting the 'ministry men' in by training guns on them !  that's something inheard of in UK, but it didn't work, everything had to go.

 

Even now, I find it hard to talk about, and tears are welling up inside, I cry for all those 'innocents' that died.

 

Farmers also committed suicide over it.

 

There were 'whispers' that it had been brought into the country deliberately, that some farmers deliberately got their stock infected so they could claim compensation from the government, we'll never know the truth.

 

It was so awful and sickening, that it has formed a big part in recent English history, that I thought I should write about it.

 

My next lot of 'ramblings' will be cheerier, I promise.