A few years ago, I visited England on a book and lecture
tour. At that time, hundreds of thousands of cows were
being slaughtered after a foot-and-mouth disease (hoof-
and mouth disease) outbreak.

I witnessed first-hand mass conversions to vegetarianism.
I am proud to have been at the right place at the right
time in motivating hundreds or thousands of people with
my lectures and media coverage.

Few people have the desire to eat diseased flesh and
drink body fluids from sickened animals. If only people
were informed about the true scope of things. In
America, most people eat or drink bacteria-laden foods
or overdose on antibiotic residues. It bocomes a true
crap shoot.

History has repeated itself, as it always does. Today's
article was posted a few hours ago on Reuters News:

_______________________________________________________________

EU bans British meat and milk exports

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Exports of fresh meat, live animals and milk
products will be banned from all of mainland Britain following its
recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the European Commission
said on Monday.

A spokesman said the Commission, the executive arm of the European
Union, would formalise the decision -- which was agreed with Britain -
- later on Monday. EU veterinary experts may review the measure when
they meet on Wednesday, he said.

"The main element will be the establishment of a high-risk area from
which cattle, sheep and goats cannot be exported," spokesman Philip
Tod told a daily news briefing. "Nor can fresh meat and milk be
exported."

He said the Commission had agreed with British authorities to define
the territory of Great Britain as that high-risk area, meaning "live
animals and milk products will not be able to be despatched from
Great Britain".

"The British authorities have ... requested that we treat the whole
of Great Britain as a high-risk area," Tod said, rather than limiting
the ban to a limited geographical area around the outbreak as the
Commission had originally planned.

"We are very happy to take that up in the Community (EU) decision,"
Tod said. "The Commission understands that this has been taken as a
precautionary measure ... and it can be reviewed as early as
Wednesday if the situation on the ground allows."

Several countries have already blocked imports of meat or animals
coming from Britain, or have said they will do so.

Japan and South Korea have temporarily halted pork imports from
Britain, while the United States -- which already restricts UK
imports of cattle and sheep due to other health scares -- has said it
will ban imports of pork and pork products.

Ireland has banned imports of meat and non-pasteurised milk as well
as livestock from Britain, a step it is allowed to take under EU
rules but only as a temporary short-term measure.
____________________________________________________

Robert Cohen
i4crob@...