Worldlog Week 04 – 2010

We are in the middle of the messy aftermath of the worst Q fever epidemic in history. No coincidence that it should occur in the Netherlands. Goats and sheep are bred in the Netherlands to produce so much milk that they have a higher susceptibility to diseases and birthing young prematurely. And it is exactly these circumstances that lead to the spread of Q fever.

To give you a taste of the discussion, below you will find my contribution to this week's parliamentary debate.

Speaker. After a period of indecision and non-information, a period of denial and disinformation seems to have dawned. Yesterday at 5:30 PM we received the news that the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries had announced that the sheep farm in Nuenen was free of Q fever – much to the relief of the farmer. However, at 9:30 PM we received a letter with the announcement that people fell ill during the ‘pet the lambs’ days held on the farm. Yesterday evening we saw on TV that Minister Klink failed to keep his promise that a government body would investigate the situation immediately. Suitable measures were supposed to be taken during the lambing season, but up to now the farmer has heard nothing from the relevant government agency and around 800 lambs have been born.

Requests from the farmer for vaccinations were rejected as his farm does not have a social role. It is, in other words, not a children’s farm, special-needs farm or zoo. What kind of stifling government bureaucracy is this? And in the latest letter from the cabinet we read that the farm actually does have a social role. Total chaos! In the letter, the cabinet admits – this is interesting – the way we have bred milk-producing sheep and goats makes them susceptible to abortions, which stimulates the spread of Q fever. The cabinet also admits that the degree of intensity of animal-rearing operations is also an important factor. I would be very interested to hear how this cabinet intends to reduce the concentration of animals.

Now this cabinet wants a mass-culling of billy-goats and rams – again for purely economic reasons. There is no danger to public health as long as these animals are not used for breeding. Since these animals will not be used for breeding, there is every reason to keep these animals alive and to test them individually for the future. I call on all ministers to put an end to this madness.

Now let’s examine the two test methods. During question-time, the ministers maintained that vaginal swabs were not a reliable method of testing for Q fever. Experts could hardly believe their ears since they recommend the use of vaginal swabs for farms that do not produce milk. The adjunct director of the Central Veterinary Institute has also indicated that this test is just as reliable as the bulked-milk test. Are the ministers able to say why they came to the conclusion that vaginal swabs are unreliable? Was it the fact that vaginal swabs are more expensive than bulked-milk testing that clinched the decision? Is it again a question of dollars and cents? As often seems to be the case with this cabinet, do economic concerns weigh more heavily than ethical ones?

And another couple of concrete questions: Why is there as yet no ban on breeding at children’s farms? The minister promised to give this serious consideration and to explain his position in a letter. So far I have seen and heard nothing. I am considering submitting a motion on this matter.

Can we extend the ban on breeding now? Allowing animals to be with young in the next breeding season would be totally irresponsible. We don’t know what the effect of vaccination would be and what the sector needs is clarity.

And finally, the availability of the vaccines. Can the minister give us his word that he will make every effort to ensure that all sheep and goats in the Netherlands are vaccinated before August 2010?

Speaker. This situation demands a parliamentary inquiry and an end to the bio-industry.

Last week we joined farmers and Q fever patients in remembering the victims of this failed government policy. Black, white and red balloons were released into the air as a symbol of the people who have died, the animals put down and those who have fallen ill.

Here are some photographs of this very poignant event.