The recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease has left me thinking: is it just me or has the blinding incompetence of modern British government and big business reached new heights?

It seems that the private company (Merial Animal Health) and the government department (Institute for Animal Health) who shared the Pirbright facility, near Guildford were more interested in arguing about who should be responsible for bio-security (and more importantly – at least as far as they were concerned – who was going to PAY for it) than actually taking control of the issue.

This type of behaviour is bad enough coming from a private company, but for a government department to display so little concern over the bio-security of the country they govern is nothing short of criminal negligence!

…and yet it looks like the weasels from both sides of camp incompetent may get away with it.

In an age where we are supposed to be fighting the so-called “war on terror” how are we supposed to react to this breach of bio-security, created by the laziness, buck-passing and apathy of the jobsworths?

More importantly, if our procedures are so weak, how are we actually supposed to fend off an organised, well-financed and coordinated terrorist attack against one or more of our so-called bio facilities?

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

If we are to retain the faintest shred of faith in any aspect of the anti-terrorism measures introduced by this government, then we need to start by slapping large penalties on all the guilty parties in the foot and mouth fiasco.

The IAH civil servants responsible (starting from the heads of department and working down) need to be sacked immediately. They should also kiss goodbye to their fat civil service pensions and be publicly named and shamed.

Dealing with Merial Animal Health is even easier – hit them with a formula 1-level fine and make the company directors personally liable for the inactions of their peons.

The penalties must be serious and send a clear message; where the bio-security of the UK is responsible, there can be no f**cking about! and NO one is exempt from responsibility for their actions.

Anything less than this and it’s just a matter of time before the next avoidable incident occurs.

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