[UPoneacre]

I may be getting old and grumpy (well, I know I am) but was anyone else irritated by Tom Heap's comments in Countryfile last night when he appeared to be sniping at smallholders and suggesting we didn't take bird flu seriously? It just struck me as ill informed comment, particularly when you look back at the discussions on this board and the actions taken by most of us to deal with the situation last year. His assumption that farmers did everything necessary was adrift from our experieneces when we were aware of several that didn't bother to take precautions or keep their birds in. Any thoughts?

Maybe the snow's getting to me!

[Fleecewife]

I felt he plonked the blame completely in smallholders laps.  The smallholder he spoke to seemed to be carefully chosen because she had ignored the advice and claimed she didn't see the warnings etc.
Yes, a very one sided and unfair report.


About the only compensation for getting old and a bit decrepit is that we can be as grumpy as we want - we've earned it.  When I think of all the years I had to put up with grumpy old folk, I'm darned sure I'm really going to milk it now 

[chrismahon]

if you are not obliged to be registered as you have too few chickens, don't get newspapers because they are too expensive and are not on an internet poultry forum you would probably never know about bird flu. I seriously doubt the authorities could cope with the extra administration anyway.

[PhilW]

Totally agree with UPoneacre and Fleecewife. In our house he is known as Mr Doom and Gloom. It's the same every week always onesided, I don't think I or OH have ever agreed with his comments. All the poultry owners that I know around here went out of there way last year to comply, and the outbreaks about 30 miles away were at the larger commercial breeders.

[macgro7]

To be honest I would have never known about the bird flu if I weren't on this forum. I imagine there were thousands of smallholder and backyard poultry keepers who didn't even know about it.

[in the hills]

Yes, that's what we felt too.

[Rupert the bear]

Country file.........  Oh I thought it was a tv drama /un reality show, bit like the Archers.
Sorry I don't rate it much , aimed at the townies  .
I'm not aware of an episode showing life on a croft / farm in mid winter where the farmer / crofter is up to their knees in freezing mud ,with burst water pipes a non starting tractor and the power has just gone off , then going out in all weathers to check on stock ,the sacrifices many animal keepers make to keep on going despite mounting costs and bureaucracy going mad.
Did I tell you I don't rate Country file much ?
That's my 2p worth !
 

[sabrina]

No longer watch it but I did keep my chickens in last year when it was posted on here about the bird flu.

[Rupert the bear]

No longer watch it but I did keep my chickens in last year when it was posted on here about the bird flu.

That the thing , this is a real life medium, its informative and interactive

[Womble]

if you are not obliged to be registered as you have too few chickens

Or of course you could have voluntarily registered as we did, and STILL not be notified in any way for over a week IIRC.

I'd be far happier with others taking the moral high ground if the government agencies had actually had their act together with swift contac, information and advice the moment the restrictions were announced. There should be well rehearsed emergency plans for this kind of thing, which they can swiftly dust off and implement. As it was, they appeared to be making everything up as they went along!

[Backinwellies]

I have to say I didn't notice bias .. but I was only half watching....   (That smallholding isn't far  from me and barely got a  mention on local news)   One thing that stuck me was mother's comments about no time to watch TV, listen to radio etc was rubbish ....  And as for contacting smallholder groups ...what smallholder group would not have known? It was topic of conversation in our group for months!

The main problem as I saw it was the lack of coverage by BBC  about small flocks .... It is only. news when 1000s of birds are killed.     Also I remember that even Countryside barely mentioned it for first few important weeks.