'Ban on children touching farm animals'
CHILDREN should be banned from touching animals on petting farms in a bid to halt the spread of E.coli, says the Government.
Farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick said preventing youngsters from coming into direct contact with livestock was a "common sense" precaution which would still allow farm visits to go ahead.
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His call comes as attractions report a drop in visitor numbers, with concerned parents staying away.
The outbreak of E.coli O157 last month forced the closure of the World of Country Life attraction in Exmouth, Devon. Its walk-in pet centre has now reopened with approval from the Health Protection Agency after numerous tests concluded there were no direct links to the virus.
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This summer, Godstone Farm in Surrey was linked to dozens of cases, including 14 children treated in hospital.
Fears have been raised about the impact on tourist attractions which rely on farm animals to draw the crowds, and the wider implications for educating children on where their food comes from.
Mr Fitzpatrick said sensible measures should be taken to ensure visits could go ahead safely, which included a ban on touching animals.
"I think what we can say is that we want to minimise the risk to children but one can never ever completely eliminate the risk in any aspect of life," he told BBC One's Countryfile.
"We want to protect our children but we also want to promote their understanding of the world, their learning of the environment and promote farming and the rural community.
"We need to make sure these visits continue and where they have paused, we can restart them."
Final decisions would have to be made by parents and teachers, especially where school trips were involved.
Asked if one way of preventing further spread of E.coli was to impose a ban on touching animals, he added: "That's a precaution which clearly would not eliminate the visit but would reduce the level of risk and in that instance, it sounds to me that it would be common sense to observe that particular precaution."
The O157 strain of E.coli, which causes abdominal pain and diarrhoea, can lead to serious kidney and blood complications.
The infection can prove fatal, particularly for children and the elderly, whose immune systems either have not matured or have been weakened.
It is usually transferred to humans through contaminated water, or contaminated food which has not been cooked properly. It can also be caught via animal faeces. The Health Protection Agency has published a leaflet on how people can stay safe when visiting farms.
It includes advice to avoid "putting fingers in mouths while walking round the farm", eating only in designated picnic areas and preventing children from putting their faces close to the animals.
At the end of September, a Devon toddler died from an E.coli infection, which is not thought to be linked to a farm.
The Health Protection Agency refused to divulge any further information on the grounds of "patient confidentiality".
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by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 6:49PM
“:( Going nowhere? . Don't despair! . There will be an election soon. . Your tablets are in the post.”
by Going nowhere, West Cornwall
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 4:28PM
“Charles, are you retired?. If so, then please take a post at the nearest University to you. Study to become a Microbiologist and take a post up as a lecturer as soon as possible, because posting on here and lecturing others about Mycobacterium bovis is going nowhere. It will get you away from being glued to your computer seat everyday.”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 8:36AM
“:| Henry, bTB may not matter to you; that is because you have no understanding of it, but it is seriously affecting many, many thousands in the agricultural community who have been seriously let down by a party you are seemingly very supportive of.”
by someone, Troon
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 8:02AM
“Has no one heard of hand washing.
We now live in such a sterile world that no one seems to have any immunity to all the bugs and bacteria around us. How do the little africans kids manage to survive living with open sewage all around .them
They must have a marvellous imunne system.”
by henry blince, devon
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 7:22AM
“and you carried it on, didn't you. You just couldn't do the adult thing and let it go, could you.”
by No Name now, Cornwall
Tuesday, October 20 2009, 7:55PM
“Mr. Fitzpatrick apparently doesn't know a lot about children.The average toddler spends half of their life rolling about in all sort of potentially infectious rubbish.
Surely, bad things do happen, but you simply cannot prevent everything. It saddens me that touching animals is yet another wonderful experience that may be taken away from our children.
If Mr. Fitzpatrick was being realistic, he might consider that so far, the human species has managed to overpopulate this planet while living in constant close proximity to animals and their dung.”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Tuesday, October 20 2009, 6:52PM
“:| Henry; . . Theo, the Left-Wing, anti-British farmer, pro European, Labour party activist, dragged the bTB question into the comments page of this story. . I will never let people like him, distort the truth and facts about bTB; editor providing. . Best Charles”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Tuesday, October 20 2009, 6:08PM
“:| They are not Theo.
You are a real dissembler.
Be ashamed. . You know the facts as do I. . Not long ago you and people like you were saying that culling in Ireland had no effect, but from your figures clearly it has. Europe will not tolerate bTB. . Scotland has been designated clear of bTB.”
by henry blince, devon
Tuesday, October 20 2009, 5:53PM
“Isn't it extraordinary how an article on the subject of pretty much anything always seems to degenerate into an argument about how farmers can do no wrong and badgers are the root of all evil and must surely die.”
by Theo H, Lifton
Tuesday, October 20 2009, 5:46PM
“CH.
I am quoting figures of herd infections with bTB. The population of Ireland and/or the number of badgers there is irrelevant.
The fact is bTB num.
bers in Ulster are falling without a cull. I am not saying that there should not be a cull, but I am pointing out that here in the SW bTB numbers might be less than at the moment.
In opposing better testing, etc, unless there is a cull, the NFU are making things worse for their members than needs be.
The NFU are being utterly irresponsible with their members' lives and the taxpayers' pound. Only one other group can wave two fingers at the UK government and the people like the NFU - and that's the recent Bonus Bankers.
Remember, if a cull does not work, than farmers still get compensation.
It might be worth considering why only half the farmers in England are NFU members, and they have to ake up numbers with NFU Countryside - the part that deals with play-farmers with estates and horses.
The Irish countryside has always been a bit anarchic - thank the English landlords for that.”