The Country Gardener and Foot and Mouth Disease


The sun is finally beginning to shine, tempting primulas, daffodils and other spring flowers to open their faces to the sky. A gentle haze of green is starting to develop in the hedgerows and woods as leaf buds begin to unfurl. And yet the cheerful optimism of emerging spring is tempered this year, after one of the worst winters for the English countryside.

I have written in previous articles about the unusually high rainfall and flooding which hit us this year. The land is still so wet that in many places farmers have been unable to plant crops, and those gardeners with poor drainage are unable to work the soil. But if that is not enough, the highly contagious foot and mouth disease is now rampaging through the countryside infecting sheep, pigs and cattle.

You might feel that the topic of foot and mouth disease may have little to do with country gardening. However, the landscape that forms a background to many an English country garden has been shaped by centuries of arable and livestock farming. The livelihoods of many countryside gardeners has also been affected by foot and mouth disease - not only those in farming and farming related trades, but those working in the equestrian and tourism industries.

Another aspect of the foot and mouth crisis is the closure of many gardens normally open to the public. This may be because they are in infected areas, or because the owners have cloven-hoofed livestock or the garden is adjacent to farmland.

Details of National Garden Scheme openings which have been cancelled can be found at this link: http://www.ngs.org.uk/updates/upates_to_...

Details of which National Trust sites are open can be found at: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/LBNews.h...

Confused about the facts of foot and mouth disease?

This link will tell you more: http://www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/...

Whilst this gives more details about visiting the English countryside: http://www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/...

The copyright of the article The Country Gardener and Foot and Mouth Disease in English Country Gardening is owned by Jane Hollis. Permission to republish The Country Gardener and Foot and Mouth Disease in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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