early stages, could be used. It was not, however, the only way in which community
action against FMD was formed.
Great Orton Airfield became the primary site for the disposal of the animals
culled during FMD in Cumbria. Purchased by MAFF during the Army’s take -over of
the removal of the animal carcasses which had been building up across the county,
Great Orton Airfield became the site for not only disposal but also the centre for operations for both the military and, subsequently, the media. 33 It was at Great Orton
where many harrowing images of the burning pyres of animal corpses were shot and
displayed in the press. Stuck with the reputation as a burial site and the negativity
connected between the dark days of FMD in the local area, house prices in the local area began to tank and work as a view into the mood of the site following FMD. 34 It
was in 2002; however, local groups began working with DEFRA (Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), MAFF’s successor, to determine how the site
could be repurposed once DEFRA’s lease holding expired. As a result of community
meetings and local liaison groups, the joint decision to turn Great Orton Airfield into WatchTree Nature Reserve was made. On the 7 th of May 2003, a Memorial was
placed at Watchtree to commemorate the second anniversary of FMD in Cumbria.
This site works to encapsulate the FMD outbreak in the area. Initially the source of
so many of the images of farmers' lively hoods burning on pyres which subsequently
turned people away from the site, Watchtree was now drawing people back to the
county of Cumbria. It was also through official bodies like DEFRA working clearly
with the community that this could be achieved.
The cost of FMD was felt nationwide but fell particularly hard upon Cumbria.
FMD costs the communities it touched so much due to the harsh measures needed
to prevent its spread. Culling of infected animals and culling as a pre-emptive tool to
stop the spread of FMD cost the farming communities not only their livelihoods but,
in some cases, their companions, animals bred as pets which were never meant for
slaughter. The physical cost was also exacted on the communities suffering from
culling, with the smell of the corpses forcing schoolchildren inside and farmers off
33 Brigadier Alex Birtwistle’s diary entry in, Graham, Foot, and Mouth, p.84/85. 34 DEFRA, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, The Birth of Watchtree Nature Reserve (DEFRA: 2002) p.3. Figure . no-vacanies.com Email.
9
Made with FlippingBook HTML5