2001 Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak: Millions of Animals Culled Amid Smoke and Protests

The 2001 UK foot-and-mouth outbreak led to the culling of millions of animals, widespread protests, and lasting impacts on agriculture and rural communities.

Introduction to the 2001 Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

When foot-and-mouth disease was identified at an abattoir in Essex in February 2001, few anticipated the scale of the crisis that would ensue. The highly contagious virus rapidly spread to livestock across Britain, prompting the slaughter of millions of sheep, cattle, and pigs in an effort to contain the outbreak.

Mass pyres of burning animal carcasses and thick clouds of smoke became enduring images of the British countryside during this period.

"It was devastating. I lost my father in 1988 and I'm glad he never saw it, because it just about finished me,"

recalled Brian Davies, a farmer near Brecon.

This article includes descriptions of animal slaughter that some readers may find distressing.

Livestock suspected of carrying foot and mouth disease is incinerated in a trench of the fields of an Essex farm, 2001. A yellow digger is seen by the pyre, along with figures wearing white biohazard suits holding poles as white smoke fills the air. — Livestock suspected of carrying foot-and-mouth disease is incinerated in a trench of the fields of an Essex farm, 2001

About Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Foot-and-mouth disease affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, camelids, and deer. It does not infect humans. The virus causes painful blisters inside the mouth and under the hooves, leading to lameness and difficulties in feeding.

Spread and Control Measures

The first confirmed case was on 19 February 2001. Within eight days, the disease was detected in Wales at an abattoir on Anglesey.

A sign at the Menai Bridge leading onto Anglesey during the 2001 outbreak warning of — A warning sign at Menai Bridge, Anglesey, during the 2001 outbreak

To control the outbreak, over six million animals were slaughtered and incinerated, including one million in Wales. The British Army was deployed to assist with these efforts.

Most of the animals culled were not infected but were located on farms contiguous to those with confirmed cases, meaning they shared boundaries.

Brian Davies lost more than 1,000 sheep during the cull.

"Fortunately, to a certain extent, we only lost the sheep because our cattle were indoors,"

Brian said.

"They shot everything in the pens. The little lambs were only like a month to six weeks old. They had to be shot, and then their throats had to be cut. It was devastating. Loaded onto a lorry and they were taken to Widnes in Liverpool to be incinerated."

Historical Context and Economic Impact

The 2001 outbreak was the first major foot-and-mouth incident in the UK since the late 1960s. It cost taxpayers approximately £3 billion, with about one-third of this amount paid to farmers who lost livestock.

Impact on Epynt Mountain and Local Protests

One of the outbreak's focal points was Epynt mountain near Sennybridge, located nine miles (14 km) west of Brecon. Thousands of cattle carcasses were transported there for burning or burial.

Large pyres were constructed, stacked high with burning carcasses that produced extensive smoke across the region.

Smoke rises from some 300 cattle and 400 sheep infected with foot-and-mouth disease being incinerated on a farm in Scotland in March 2001. The smoke dominates the photo as it rises into the cloudless sky, with frosty fields around it. — Smoke rises from the bodies of some 300 cattle and 400 sheep infected with foot-and-mouth disease being incinerated on a Scottish farm in March 2001

Near Trecastle, three miles (5 km) further west, a large pit was excavated on an Army range on Epynt to bury tens of thousands of animal carcasses brought from outside the area.

This period was marked by tension and protests from local residents opposing the burials and burning. Police escorted the lorries carrying carcasses.

Protesters would stand by the roadside and throw daffodils in front of the vehicles as they passed.

Edwin Roderick, a retired farmer from Sennybridge who chaired the Epynt Action Group, campaigned against the burials and burning on the mountain.

"It was an awful thing to see. We were taken up to see where the burial part was going to be - that was a massive hole on the Epynt,"

he said.

Edwin Roderick, who has short grey hair and a short grey beard, wears a blue shirt and dark jumper. He also wears rectangular glasses. A wooden kitchen dresser can be seen behind him with ornamental jugs and plates on. — Edwin said the outbreak left people frightened and concerned for their livelihoods

Edwin observed a stream below the disposal site "flowing white," which he attributed to effluent from the burial pit.

"People were scared. It was affecting their livelihoods. Don't forget, [these people were] farmers who will put feed in front of a sheep before they put bread on the table."

'The Smell Was Obnoxious'

Edwin recalled the intense odor of the carcasses transported through Trecastle en route to the burial pit.

"The smell was obnoxious. It was unreal. You could smell it coming into the village, and you could smell it going out.

I spent many hours by the side of that road. Some [of the vehicles] were just tractors and trailers and lorries, and they were leaking with juices coming through.

Then going up the Epynt, it was everywhere, and then it was found that the burial pit was leaching."

Edwin believes that the leaking pit and strong community opposition led to the cessation of burials on Epynt.

The campaigners approached the National Assembly (now the Senedd) in Cardiff and were informed that burials would end in April 2001.

Although burials stopped, burning on Epynt continued and remained a point of contention among local protesters.

Protesters in Trecastle holding umbrellas and placards saying — Protesters in Trecastle were against the mass burnings and burials of livestock in the area

Effects on Livestock Markets and Rural Communities

Jenny Layton Mills, an auctioneer in Powys since 1999, experienced the outbreak's impact firsthand. She worked initially at Knighton market and later in Brecon, where she remains employed.

When foot-and-mouth struck, livestock markets closed.

"We had to close the market for at least 12 months, from memory,"

she said.

"It was a terrible time for people. A lot of people on restrictions - they had no cash flow. It was a worry for people, a very hard time.

Because not only were people losing stock or not being able to sell stock, they also couldn't go out within their community as they normally would have, to market."

Wider Impact on Wales and Beyond

The 2001 outbreak devastated agriculture but also had broader effects on rural communities and other sectors.

Powys, Anglesey, and Monmouthshire were the worst affected counties in Wales. At the outbreak's peak, 35% of the Welsh countryside was under movement restrictions.

Access to the countryside was limited, public footpaths and many tourist attractions were closed, and visitor numbers to rural areas dropped sharply.

The Royal Welsh Show was cancelled that year, and the 2001 Six Nations rugby tournament was disrupted, with Ireland's matches against Wales, England, and Scotland postponed until autumn.

Resolution and Legacy

The outbreak was declared over in January 2002.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) later noted that the distressing images of burning carcasses broadcast worldwide deterred many people from visiting Britain, not only rural areas.

A smaller foot-and-mouth outbreak occurred in 2007, but the virus has not been detected in Britain since.

However, the disease remains a concern internationally, including in Europe.

Earlier this week, the UK's chief veterinary officer reported new cases in cattle and sheep in Cyprus and urged livestock owners to remain vigilant for signs of infection.