WITH no further cases of foot and mouth at the time of going to press, farmers in the area are still playing a waiting game, praying for the all clear. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has this week already relaxed the movement of cattle and sheep, direct to slaughter collections and sales, on Thursday (23 August), and the movement of horses in and out of protection zones on Tuesday (21 August). Meanwhile, South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt has now been able to provide some answers to the questions concerning the rural community regarding the foot and mouth outbreak. As promised at the recent public meeting in Elstead, Rural Affairs Minister Jonathan Shaw MP wrote to Jeremy Hunt with his response to the matters raised during the meeting. Mr Hunt then sent out a copy of the letter, and attached briefing note, to all Elstead residents. Mr Shaw clarified the situation with regard to dog walking, saying that dogs within the Surveillance Zone should be kept on a lead when outdoors especially where there may be livestock. If a premise is under suspicion of infection, dogs must be shut in or otherwise confined. Mr Hunt said: "Although the Minister addresses the issues to do with horses and dogs, I will continue to press him on any other unresolved issues. "I want to thank all of you that came along to the public meeting and also everyone who has shown such support for our rural community during this very difficult time. "There are undoubtedly many lessons to be learned from the handling of the situation but for now we must continue to offer our wholehearted support to Elstead's farmers. "Please feel free to contact me at any time about any further issues that may arise, which I would be happy to bring up with the Minister and/or DEFRA directly."
