Remarkable Resilience Seen Since FMD Outbreak

UK - Ten years on from the catastrophic outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in 2001, NFU Cymru says farmers have shown remarkable resilience.

Speaking on the ten-year anniversary this week, the organisation says that Welsh farmers and growers are now much better placed to offer solutions to the problems facing the world in the 21st century.

NFU Cymru President Ed Bailey said the outbreak had affected not just the livestock industry but farming as a whole. He praised the industry for recovering from one of its most difficult times.

“There is no doubt that the FMD outbreak in 2001 was a catastrophic event for the livestock industry and for the image of not only Welsh but British farming; we hope never to be in that situation again,“ he said.

“Ten years on, the industry has shown remarkable resilience and powers of recovery and although it would be very wrong to think we have solved all of our problems farming is in a much better place now. It is at the heart of the economy and central to providing the solutions to many of the issues facing this country including producing more food while using less natural resource and impacting less on the environment.“