Some of you may remember that Alan Beat started the Smallholders online newsletter back a few years ago during the disgraceful burning of thousands of cattle and sheep here in the UK.  The newsletter was extremely informative and also served as a communications vehicle especially for those smallholders who had their land invaded by government personnel who often burned healthy cattle and sheep tested perfectly free of foot and mouth just in case!!  I think it is fair to say that Alan’s research and experience qualified him as, at least, one of the best informed farmers in the UK on the subject.

The following information contains the details of Alan’s new blog on Mother Earth News.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/homesteading-in-the-united-kingdom-zbcz1512.aspx

Here is the main reason why vaccination was prohibited:

“Currently, the World Organisation for Animal Health recognizes countries to be in one of three disease states with regard to FMD: FMD present with or without vaccination, FMD-free with vaccination, and FMD-free without vaccination.[24] Countries designated FMD-free without vaccination have the greatest access to export markets, so many developed nations, including Canada, the United States, and the UK, work hard to maintain their current status. Some countries such as Brazil and Argentina which have large beef exporting industries, practise vaccination in some areas but have other vaccination-free zones.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot-and-mouth_disease

These were frightening and extremely sad days for many farmers and smallholders in the UK who were victims of the decision not to vaccinate.

“Alan Beat trained as a mechanical engineer, working 20 years in the profession before making a deliberate change of lifestyle by moving to a 16-acre smallholding (homestead) with his family in 1987. He restored an historic water mill to working order, and now grinds locally grown organic wheat for demonstration and to feed his family. Alan has written a regular monthly feature in Country Smallholding magazine for the past 25 years and has contributed to a number of other UK publications on a freelance basis.”

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/homesteading-in-the-united-kingdom-zbcz1512.aspx

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smallholding-practical-guide-self-sufficient-living/dp/0954692314/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451381723&sr=1-1&keywords=alan+beat

Alan is an established author with six, 5 star Amazon reviews of his first book on the subject:  A Start in Smallholding.