-Caveat Lector- [HardGreenHerald] # 10 "Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." --Dr. Seuss, 'The Lorax' --A RadTimes production-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: --------------- --Tiny But Deadly, Invasive Pests Rampant Worldwide --Eco-terrorism bills sail through Oregon House --Oregon House passes ecoterrorism measures --Jaws of Justice Close on European Eco-Criminals --Bush Caves In To Fossil Fuel Industry --Meat From Europe Is Banned by U.S. as Illness Spreads --Foot And Mouth Crisis May Spread Across Globe --One million animals to die =================================================================== Tiny But Deadly, Invasive Pests Rampant Worldwide <http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-12-10.html> MONTREAL, Canada, March 12, 2001 (ENS) - Invasive alien species might sound like science fiction but to officials from 180 countries meeting in Montreal today, they are real and deadly serious. The delegates represent governments belonging to the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. They will talk about often tiny species, typically with long Latin names, that cause untold damage to economies and ecosystems. Species like the Dikerogammarus villosus, a one inch shrimp from the Ukraine with an insatiable appetite for small fish, that is now devouring species native to Germany and Holland after hitching a 3,200 kilometer (2,000 miles) ride up the Danube and Rhine rivers in freighter ballast waters. Or the Hibiscus mealybug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus), a sap sucking insect currently killing plants and fruit and forestry trees across the Caribbean. Or the zebra mussel, (Dreissena polymorpha) believed to have cost the United States up to $5 billion since its introduction to the Great Lakes, via freighter ballast waters in 1988. "Over the past few centuries, invasive alien species have caused untold damage to natural ecosystems and human economies alike," said Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). "In today's highly integrated world, where tourism and trade offer more and more opportunities for unwanted species to hitchhike to new homes, we urgently need a more effective international system for turning back the tide of harmful non-native species," said Toepfer. Invasive alien species are considered to be the most important threat to biological diversity loss after habitat destruction. No part of the world is immune from the threat or the affects of invasive species, whose spread threatens more than just native plants and animals. Worldwide, increased pesticide use is the most visible reaction to foreign pest species, which creates its own risks to human health and the environment. The Convention on Biological Diversity addresses the impact of alien species on forest, agricultural biodiversity, freshwater and marine and coastal areas, and in dry and sub-humid lands. It has three main objectives: To promote "the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources." This week's meeting in Montreal is officially known as the sixth meeting of the Convention's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). Delegates will consider 17 draft principles for action against invasive alien species. The principles have broad titles, such as the precautionary approach, the ecosystem approach, border controls and quarantine measures, intentional and unintentional introductions, eradication, control, and containment. The meeting will consider national reports explaining governments' current efforts as well as case studies. "The reports confirm that invasive alien species are a major issue for biodiversity management," said Hamdallah Zedan, the Convention's executive secretary. "The problem is that most countries have a very limited ability to cope with the problem. Increased collaboration and capacity building will be essential." Invasive species are causing problems in the following areas: --Introduced fish can eliminate native species and reduce biodiversity. Some 20 percent of all freshwater fish species are at risk of becoming extinct in the near future because of this, according to UNEP. --Invasive plant species cover an estimated 100 million acres in the U.S. and are spreading annually across three million additional acres, an area twice the size of Delaware. U.S. farmers spend billions of dollars every year on pesticides to destroy invasive plants and weeds. --The corn rootworm, (Diabrotica virgifera) was accidentally introduced into southeastern Europe in the late 1990s during the Balkans conflict. This pest is now spreading and threatening the region's maize (corn) production. --The invasive sea lamprey has decimated trout and other fish stocks in the Great Lakes. Canada and the U.S. spend $13 million a year attempting to control this pest. --$4.5 million is devoted annually to implement a comprehensive interagency program to prevent the spread of the brown tree snake and control this pest on Guam. --The Weed Science Society of America recognizes about 1,200 plant species as weeds in Canada and the U.S. About 65 percent in the U.S. are non-natives. --In the Galapagos Islands - a World Heritage Site renowned as a natural showcase of evolution - the number of introduced plants is almost as high as the number of native plants, due to introduced mammalian predators and herbivores, as well as insects and plants. --In the Eurasian part of the Arctic, the alien Racoon dog, (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is multiplying and consuming large numbers of various small mammals. It is also spreading rabies. --Prosopis (Mesquite) in the Thar desert of India has displaced other flowers of the area, while the species introduced to a semi-arid area of Sri Lanka in the early 1950s, is threatening the biodiversity of the only Ramsar-listed wetland of the country. The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an independent intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation of wetlands around the world. The SBSTTA opens today with keynote addresses from Robert Watson of World Bank and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, regarding the link between climate change and biodiversity; and Timothy Twongo, of the Fisheries Research Institute-Uganda, regarding invasive alien species. Delegates are expected to meet in two working groups. Working group I will consider invasive alien species, focusing on status and trends and options for future work. Working group II will discuss scientific assessments, biodiversity and climate change, including cooperation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; migratory species and cooperation with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. After the meeting concludes on Friday, it will forward its results and recommendations to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, which holds its sixth meeting April 8 to 19, 2002 in The Hague, Netherlands. =================================================================== Eco-terrorism bills sail through Oregon House <http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/01/03/lc_31terro13.frame> Both measures allow for the worst acts of sabotage to be prosecuted under the state's racketeering statutes Tuesday, March 13, 2001 By Tomoko Hosaka of The Oregonian staff SALEM - Two bills intended to stiffen penalties for eco-terrorists were unanimously approved by the House on Monday after lawmakers reworked the proposals to ensure they would not affect peaceful protesters. House Bills 2344 and 2385 now head to the Senate, and supporters say they expect a few more tweaks to target only the most violent and costly acts of environmental sabotage. "We are highlighting criminal offenses that are intended for very specific purposes to damage or destroy property and endanger lives," said Rep. Lane Shetterly, R-Dallas, a sponsor of the bills. The more significant of the two, HB 2344, would expand the state's organized crime laws to include tree spiking, interference with animal research and interference with livestock research. Under Oregon's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, the acts would be punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $300,000 fine. The House Judiciary Committee decided to remove "interference with agricultural operations" from the first version of the bill because it might have unfairly affected nonviolent demonstrations, such as sit-ins. HB 2385 would create a new crime of "interference of agricultural research," carrying a maximum $100,000 fine and five years in prison. The bill allows such acts to also be prosecuted under the state's racketeering statutes. Although Rep. Charlie Ringo, D-Beaverton, was concerned several weeks ago about the bills' scope, he said he is satisfied with the changes. Ringo, former chairman of the Oregon Sierra Club, says he hopes the bills will send a strong message to eco-terrorists. "These groups do great damage to the credibility of mainstream environmental groups," Ringo said. "I'd love for these groups to be put out of action." Rep. Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton, said that he received threatening letters and phone calls a year ago when lawmakers were first considering crafting a bill to target eco-terrorism. No violence ever occurred against him or his property, but the experience forced Jenson to take such groups seriously. He said he will vigorously protect free speech, "but I also will do everything to ensure that if you break the law as part of those protests, that you get free board and room for 20 years." Supporters say the bills are needed to respond to groups such as the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front, who have increasingly targeted Oregon's farms, ranches, timber companies and science labs. Activists with ELF claimed responsibility for setting fire to a lumber company in Glendale in January. But David Barbarash, the North American spokesman for the ALF, said earlier this year that new state laws will have no effect on the group's operations. Activists operate "outside the law," he said. -------- You can reach Tomoko Hosaka at 503-221-8378 or by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] =================================================================== Oregon House passes ecoterrorism measures <http://news.statesmanjournal.com/single_article.cfm?i=21401> The two bills would add several crimes to the state's anti-racketeering law. by PETER WONG, Statesman Journal 03/13/01 Ecoterrorists who destroy or damage animals, crops or buildings in the name of the environment are the targets of two bills the Oregon House passed Monday. Rep. Lane Shetterly, one of the chief sponsors, said the bills are not aimed at all activities of environmental groups. "But when people's activities cross the line from vigorous debate and legitimate protest to criminal activities involving the destruction of property and risk to lives, the state must be ready to respond,'' the Dallas Republican said. Rep. Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton, the other chief sponsor, said the bills guarantee that lawbreakers will get prison - "free room and board from the state for 20 years.'' Both bills were approved 56-0 and moved to the Senate. They would add several crimes to Oregon's anti-racketeering law, which lets prosecutors go after individuals or organizations engaged in a pattern of crimes. In addition to criminal penalties, defendants convicted under the 1981 law are subject to fines three times the value of property losses. House Bill 2344 would add to that law the crimes of interference with agricultural operations, animal research and livestock production; and tree spiking, in which embedded metal damages saw blades as they cut through the wood. House Bill 2385 would create a crime of interference with agricultural research and add it to the list. Although most of those crimes were felonies already, Shetterly said, "these bills will raise the stakes.'' He said use of the anti-racketeering law against the crimes may prove as successful against ecoterrorists as the original use of the law against criminal organizations in the 1980s. Existing laws against arson cover deliberately set fires, such as those that destroyed Boise Cascade's Monmouth offices on Christmas Day 1999 and Superior Lumber Co. offices in Glendale on Jan. 2. The Earth Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for those fires and others around the country. Shetterly said 21 incidents have been attributed to the group since October 1996, when paint was found sprayed on U.S. Forest Service buildings in Detroit. A spokesman for the group said earlier that he doubted tougher penalties would deter the perpetrators. "When I read about the bombing of some facility, I think it is damaging to the credibility of legitimate organizations working hard for clean air, water and natural habitat,'' said Rep. Charlie Ringo, D-Beaverton, a former state president of the Sierra Club, who voted for the bills. --------- Peter Wong can be reached at (503) 399-6745. =================================================================== Jaws of Justice Close on European Eco-Criminals <http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-13-03.html> BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 13, 2001 (ENS) - The European Commission today called for breaches of European Union environmental laws in seven key policy areas to be classed as criminal rather than administrative offences throughout the bloc. The change would open the way to much tougher sanctions against offenders by giving police and judicial authorities responsibility for enforcement, rather than pollution control authorities. "Sanctions currently established by the Member States are not always sufficient to achieve full compliance with [EU] law," environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom and justice commissioner Antonio Vitorino say in a legislative proposal adopted today. "There are still many cases of severe non-observance ... which are not subject to sufficiently dissuasive and effective penalties," they said. In many cases authorities are limited to imposing fines. To remedy this, the Commission wants the 15 European Union member states to agree that individuals or firms breaching any of over 50 existing EU laws by "intention or serious negligence" be subject to investigation by criminal authorities. If found guilty, they should suffer "effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions," the Commission says. These punishments should be determined by member states rather than at European Union level, but should include possible imprisonment for individuals breaking the laws. Vitorino said a key aim of the newly adopted proposal was to "give responsibility for enforcing ... environmental regulations to different authorities, independent of those which grant ... authorizations to pollute." This would create "an additional guarantee of impartiality" and give authorities greater scope for cross-border investigations of eco-crimes and the ability to impose stronger sanctions. The seven deadly sins proposed by the Commission are any breaches of European Union laws committed while carrying out the following activities: 1.discharging hydrocarbons, waste oils or sewage sludge into water 2.emitting "materials" into the environment or handling hazardous waste 3.discharging waste onto land or into water 4.damaging, killing or trading in protected wild species 5.significantly deteriorating a protected habitat 6.trading in ozone depleting substances 7.operating plants in which dangerous activities are carried out or where dangerous substances are stored or used A spokesman for Vitorino said that, if agreed by member states, the law could act as a platform for individual member states to take even stronger measures, including extradition of eco-criminals from one state to any other in the bloc. =================================================================== Bush Caves In To Fossil Fuel Industry Amsterdam: March 14th 2001: Greenpeace reacted with shock today at US President George Bush's abrupt decision to back off from campaign promises to cut carbon dioxide emissions from US power stations. His pre-election pledge was reiterated just last week by newly appointed US Environmental Protection Agency Head Christine Whitman at the G8 Environment Minister's Summit in Trieste, Italy. Her remarks led the meeting to believe that the new US administration was serious about tackling climate change, and she specifically mentioned the limits on power plant emissions as a US commitment to take domestic action to fight global warming. "When you put two oil men in the White House, I guess this is what you have to expect", said Greenpeace Climate Policy Director Bill Hare, referring to George Bush's history as a Texas oil man, and Vice President Dick Cheney's long career in the oil services industry. "Apparently Mrs. Whitman's environmentally responsible position has not carried the day, and we can expect the Neanderthal, head-in-the-sand rhetoric of Bush to prevail in this administration." President Bush appears to be rejecting the worldwide scientific consensus on global warming and its causes, particularly the three recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the science and impacts of climate change, and the economics of fighting it. "Bush appears to be listening to extreme "Flat Earth" minority viewpoints on the science", said Bill Hare. Greenpeace emphasised that this development reinforces the need for the European Union and others to accelerate their efforts towards ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. For further information: Bill Hare: Berlin +49 30 446 78765, or on mobile +31-6-21296899 Steve Sawyer: Amsterdam mobile +31-6-53504715 Michel Raquet: Brussels + 32 228 01400 mobile + 32 496 163365 For information on Greenpeace please visit: http://www.greenpeace.org =================================================================== March 14, 2001 Meat From Europe Is Banned by U.S. as Illness Spreads <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/14/world/14BAN.html> By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS with DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. WASHINGTON, March 13 - The United States banned imports of animals and animal products from the European Union today after learning that foot-and-mouth disease had spread to France from Britain. The Agriculture Department said it was taking the precaution to protect the domestic industry from a possible outbreak of the virus, which could cost the American industry billions of dollars in just one year. The virus poses little danger to people, even if they eat the meat of infected animals. But it is virulently contagious and is devastating for cattle, swine, sheep, deer and other cloven-hoofed animals, which it generally debilitates and often leaves unable to grow or produce milk. The ban, which applies to exports from all 15 countries of the European Union, prompted some European officials to complain that the Bush administration was overreacting. But three members of the European Union Belgium, Portugal and Spain are closing their borders to French meat, as is Switzerland. Norway banned imports of French farm products, and Germany and Italy took protective measures. Canada also banned meat imports from the European Union, as well as from Argentina, which has found foot-and-mouth disease in the northwest. Argentina said it would voluntarily restrict beef exports. Kimberley Smith, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department, said many items, including most cheeses and cured or cooked meats, are not affected because they are heated in a way that kills the virus. The ban is expected to hit pork producers the most. European beef is already banned by the United States because of mad cow disease, which can cause fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. The Agriculture Department is "taking this time to assess our exclusion activities as a precaution to ensure that we don't get foot-and-mouth disease in the United States," Ms. Smith said. She said the department could not say how long the ban would last. Department officials did not detail which European products would be subject to the ban. But they said it would prohibit the importation of live swine, pork and meat from sheep and goats, regardless of whether it is fresh or frozen. Yogurt and most cheeses would be permitted, they said, because those sold in the United States are made from pasteurized milk. Canned ham or any other food products that have been heated above 175 degrees Fahrenheit are permitted because such processing inactivates the virus, the officials said. The production of such favored items as French brie and Italian prosciutto is closely monitored to meet stringent export standards, she said, so they are not affected by today's ban. Brie entering the United States is made from pasteurized milk and is considered safe. A spokesman for the European Commission in Washington, Gerry Kiely, said the ban would cost European exporters as much as $458 million a year in sales. The agriculture department put the cost at $400 million at most. Earlier today French officials confirmed that foot-and-mouth disease was found among cattle at a dairy farm in Laval, in northwestern France. Officials said farmers in the area had imported sheep from Britain, which is at the center of the current outbreak and has already slaughtered about 170,000 animals to contain the disease. The disease, which is so infectious that it can be spread by footwear and cars, appeared in France despite tight precautions. The infected dairy farm, near La Baroche-Gondouin in the Mayenne district, was inside an isolation zone. Last week France set up double sets of roadblocks in 19 regions and created a 1.8-mile ring around a suspect farm. Under these restrictions, animals are required to remain in the fields, dogs must be kept away and all people and vehicles leaving farms are disinfected. Within a wider radius of about six miles, no animals are allowed to circulate, even to go to slaughter. Animals believed to be infected are killed and burned in the field on pyres of gasoline-soaked wood, then buried nearby. French farmers have already killed 50,000 sheep: 20,000 imported from Britain since Feb. 1, and 30,000 French sheep that had contact with them. The foot-and-mouth disease in France was found in a herd of 114 cows that had been grazing near sheep from a neighboring farm that had been imported from Britain. The sheep were all slaughtered last week as a precaution. When six cows showed mouth lesions on Monday, the entire herd was killed immediately and incinerated. Only two tested positive for the disease, French officials said. The director general for food of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Catherine Geslain-Lanelle, tried to calm the situation today, saying, "At this stage, we shouldn't speak of an epidemic; we have a concentration." European officials voiced dismay that their livestock producers would be kept from the American market by the second ban in four years. (The first was in reaction to the outbreak of mad cow disease.) The Bush administration announced the step just hours after a group of veterinarians working for the European Union objected to the existing ban on European beef, saying global fears of mad cow disease had led to restrictions that were "excessive and not supported by any technical arguments." American agricultural experts and representatives of the livestock industry praised today's step as timely. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said: "Right now, we just don't know how far this disease has spread. It is common sense to take protective measures." American experts in animal disease said the United States should take draconian measures if necessary to avoid an outbreak of foot and mouth. In the first two decades of the last century, they noted, there were repeated and devastating outbreaks of the disease, which was likely transmitted when garbage from oceanliners were fed to pigs as food. The last reported incidence of foot-and-mouth disease in this country was in 1929. "I think it's a logical step to take," said John Maas, a veterinarian and food-safety specialist at the University of California at Davis. "Slam the door quick, before the damage is done." Dr. Maas noted that the disease is still endemic in many parts of the world, most notably in parts of China, the Middle East and former Soviet republics. But the risk posed by the European animals was especially worrisome because American authorities have been less vigilant about products from that part of the world, he said. "The threat is not new," Dr. Maas said. "It's just the direction it's coming from." American livestock producers expressed sympathy with their European counterparts, even as they acknowledged that they might benefit by taking over European markets in Japan, Russia and elsewhere. "It's a very unfortunate situation and our producers feel for the producers in the United Kingdom and France," said Nicholas Giordano, the international trade counsel for the National Pork Producers Council, which is based in Des Moines. "We're pleased with the action that the U.S.D.A. has taken, but we don't take any glee in it." Even including the processed items that are not being banned, European pork exporters provide a small fraction of the pork consumed in the United States, about 4 percent, in sales valued at $200 million to $250 million a year, Mr. Giordano said. Denmark is by far the biggest supplier, accounting for about 70 percent of American imports. Mr. Giordano predicted that depending on how long the ban lasts, American consumers might detect higher prices for pork ribs, frozen shoulders or unprocessed ham, which are being banned. But, he said, there may be a more significant economic impact for American producers, who could gain ground in sales to third countries at Europe's expense. The American pork industry, which generates farm income of $11 billion a year, sells to nearly 100 countries, he added. In addition to the ban on European Union products, the administration said, it plans to send a team of 40 experts to monitor efforts to contain the disease. It also has placed airports and other entry points on heightened alert to inspect travelers and their cargo, and begun a publicity campaign about steps to prevent the spread of the disease. In an action related to mad cow disease, the McDonald's Corporation, the nation's largest buyer of beef, today announced steps it plans against the disease in this country. The chain has given meat packers until April 1 to document that the cattle they slaughter has been fed according to federal rules. Mad cow disease is contracted by animals that eat the tissue of other infected animals. =================================================================== Foot And Mouth Crisis May Spread Across Globe The foot and mouth crisis threatened to become a global problem today as an outbreak was confirmed in Argentina, while the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea all moved to ban selected EU agricultural products. The restrictions came after the first case in continental Europe was confirmed yesterday in France, with further suspected outbreaks in Italy. Meanwhile, the tally of cases in the UK rose to 217. Full story - Guardian Unlimited http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/story/0,7369,451746,00.html Related story: Crisis now worse than in 1967 - Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/story/0,7369,451591,00.html Related story: US bans European pork - Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64537-2001Mar13.html Comment: Our politicians have caught foot and mouth - Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/argument/Regular_columnists/Anne_McElvoy/2001-03/mcelvoy140301.shtml Factfile: Foot and mouth disease - MAFF http://www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/default.htm Background: Foot and mouth latest - National Farmers' Union http://www.nfu.org.uk/info/f&ml.asp Special report: Foot and mouth disease - Guardian Unlimited http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/ =================================================================== One million animals to die Fordyce Maxwell, Farming Editor Wednesday, 14th March 2001 The Scotsman THERE is increasing fear among those closest to the foot-and-mouth epidemic that only immediate pre-emptive slaughter of more than one million animals will halt its spread. No-one was prepared to say that publicly yesterday as the Prime Minister announced the setting up of a rural task force under environment minister Michael Meacher to assess the impact of foot-and-mouth on the rural economy, with another in Scotland under Ross Finnie, rural development minister. But it is understood veterinary advisers have told the Prime Minister a mass slaughter around all currently-infected areas is the only possible chance of regaining control. That is above and beyond more public discussions yesterday on what to do with about 500,000 pregnant ewes being wintered away from their home farms. One source said last night: "No-one wanted to believe it or spread panic, but it's become obvious that this is going to be far worse than 1967. There is absolutely no question - waves of infection are coming from sheep which are showing no signs of disease and infecting cattle. If it gets right into the pig herd you can add another nought." If drastic action was not taken, millions of animals would eventually be infected anyway, he said, completing the ruin of the UK's reputation for healthy stock and any chance of rebuilding an export trade for meat and livestock. The only possible action now, he said, was large-scale slaughter round the worst-affected areas in the UK - Dumfries-shire, Cumbria, Devon and mid-Wales: "Trying to control it like that has been likened to fire-breaks for a forest fire. But you don't make those fire-breaks just on the edge of the fire - you make them 20 miles away. That's what has to happen. It's the only thing that will save us. It will cause enormous pain for many farmers, but it's our only chance." Yesterday , three weeks after the first case was confirmed in Essex, the number of confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth reached 205 by early evening, 26 of them in Scotland, all so far confined to Dumfries and Galloway. More than 180,000 animals have been, or are about to be, slaughtered and burned, almost half way to the 1967/68 total of 442,000. But both figures could pale by comparison when the decisions promised "within 48 hours" by the Prime Minister after a summit meeting with representatives of all countryside interests at Downing Street yesterday are announced. As made public so far, the plans involve the estimated 500,000 pregnant ewes which it is thought too risky to take back from winter grazing to their home farms. Options seem to be to leave them where they are to take their chance, take the risk and transport them home or slaughter them where they are. That was seen as radical enough. But another source, confirming the most pessimistic forecast so far of how the disease will spread, said: "The virus is already in far more sheep than anyone was prepared to believe." Jim Walker, president of the Scottish National Farmers Union, said after the meeting: " Decisions must be taken on whether we take radical steps to stop the disease in its tracks or whether we allow it to rumble on for months. Radical decisions are not easy for government and certainly not for the industry, but short-term pain may have to be endured to ensure a long-term future." The use of the Army, to help with disposal of carcases or slaughter of sheep in remote areas, has not been ruled out. In Scotland, representatives of more than a dozen countryside organisations met in Edinburgh to discuss a combined approach to a possible easing of rules on rural access. They presented a united front with a statement that risk assessments must be carried out at local and national level, but that the general advice for the public must continue to be to avoid any contact with livestock. The rural affairs committee heard evidence from veterinary experts who told them a slaughter to eradicate policy was the only way to deal with foot-and-mouth. =================================================================== "Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children." -Kenyan Proverb ====================================================== "We cannot solve the problems that we have created with the same thinking that created them." -Albert Einstein ====================================================== "The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders." -Edward Abbey ______________________________________________________________ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send appropriate email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. ______________________________________________________________ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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