Throughout March of 2001 the crisis deepened. By now, the disease was well established in Devon, and while Cumbria seemed to dominate the news broadcasts, Devon was really suffering.
MAFF seemed totally unprepared for the speed of the escalation of the disease. Farms were being slaughtered out on a daily basis, but it seemed to make no difference to the spread of the disease. There was some controversy already about carcass disposal, with problems getting the materials for funeral pyres, and a general lack of equipment and manpower to deal with it all.
The farming community continued to barricade themselves in, and disinfection pads of straw were appearing on the roads throughout the county. There was a general feeling of being 'at war' in the Devon countryside at the time.
We plodded on with the daily slog of checking animals and writing licences. Most of the farmers we visited were visibly hostile to us; they couldn't understand why the ministry were risking further spread of the disease by sending staff out to their farms. A few welcomed us onto their farms because they wanted the 'all clear', so that they could be sure that theirs wouldn't be the next farm to have a huge fire on it.
As you drove around Devon at that time you couldn't miss the pyres that burnt their piles of dead animals. The TV and newspapers seemed to be everywhere, and the regional news showed the aftermath of foot and mouth each evening.
As we drove between farms one afternoon, I asked Nigel a question:
"What exactly are we looking for?"
"Foot and Mouth you idiot!"
"Yes, I know that, but how will we know?"
"Well, I think I know what we are looking for, but it has been a long time. In all honesty, I think the farmers will know themselves"
I need to explain to some readers who are not familiar with Foot and Mouth Disease that at that time, there hadn't been an outbreak since 1967. The older generation of vets had seen the disease either in animals at Pirbright, or on the videos they were shown while training. The new generation had no real idea what it was. Luckily, Nigel was one of the older generation, so I had every faith in his ability to diagnose the disease on it's clinical symptoms.
The 'talk' in the news and media at that time was of FMD not being a serious threat to animals. Phrases like, 'it's a bit like a cold' were common at the time, so I didn't expect to see animals suffering if we ever found the disease.
On about the 23rd of March, we were sent to a farm on the outskirts of a small village, not far from the centre of the Devon cluster of outbreaks. On arrival at the farm lane, we found a tractor parked up in front of some padlocked gates. At the side of the tractor was a knapsack sprayer, and there was a large sign warning people to keep out.
We phoned the farmer, and explained that we had to check his stock. He was determined that it was not necessary, and that we would not be coming onto the farm.
We persuaded him to come down to the end of the lane and talk to us face to face. We explained our disinfection procedures, and after much reassurance, he reluctantly let us onto the farm.
We walked up the lane in near silence. The only time the farmer spoke was to point out infected premises all around him.
We took a look at his fine dairy herd who were all housed in buildings at the farm. The farm itself was spotlessly tidy, and the farmer was obviously proud of his herd.
It didn't take long, Nigel whispered to me, "lets get out of here".
The farmer escorted us off the farm and watched as we washed ourselves down with disinfectant and loaded our gear into the back of the van.
We drove away in silence. After 10 minutes, Nigel spoke:
"That's what I mean about this being a waste of time" he said.
"He will know straight away if he gets it. They are his stock, and he loves them."
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