The Morecambe MP wants assurances that foot and mouth disease won’t be allowed to return to the UK.
Lizzi Collinge was speaking in the House of Commons this week, as the Farming Minister gave a statement on the matter, after a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in Germany.
As a result, the UK has introduced a ban on pigs, sheep and cattle imports from the country, to prevent its spread to the UK where there are currently no confirmed cases.
Foot-and-mouth is highly contagious in livestock, but is very rarely seen in humans.
In 2001 and 2007, the UK suffered major outbreaks of the disease, leading to millions of livestock animals being slaughtered.
Ms Collinge, Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, told Daniel Zeichner MP: ‘’I will never, ever, forget the sight of burning livestock.
‘’Can the minister assure me that my farmers in Morecambe and Lunesdale who are by and large livestock farmers, will never have to face that terrible scene again, and we will do everything possible to ensure Foot and Mouth does not spread to our country?
Mr Zeichner, Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, replied: ‘’I am grateful to my honourable friend for her comments and the account of the affect it had.
The purpose of my statement today is to give reassurance that we have very high quality officials working very hard to do everything we can to prevent an outbreak again.’’
Symptoms of the disease include blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue of the animal, as well as lameness, fever, or a loss of appetite.
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