Relaxation of FMD restrictions
25 October

The DEFRA FMD risk area has been relaxed significantly which is good news for our greenlaning activities.  The attached DEFRA maps show that only the southern areas of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire will be unavailable to us going forward.  Please look at the attached maps for more information

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/map-fmd-sz-rz211007.pdf
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/map-fmdriskareas241007.pdf

Vehicular Access across Chapel Green - Therfield Hertfordshire
23 October 2007

Can everyone please avoid the track which runs across Chapel Green common land, Therfield, Hertfordshire from TL 343 351 to TL 341
353.(Explorer map 194) It is fine to drive the byways just to the north and west but access can't be gained from the track.

The club is very clear that we drive byways (BOATs) and Other Routes with Public Access but that we do not have right of way over private or
common land. Looking at the OS map there is no right of way over the track across Chapel Green.

FOOT & MOUTH UPDATE
4 October 2007

It is the clubs policy that we will not organise greenlining trips in Defra’s FMD Risk Area.

The FMD Risk Area has reduced this week and now covers: Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Greater London, Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex.  Defra’s map can be viewed at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/map-counties031007.pdf

Bedfordshire lanes are closed for the winter.

NATIONAL PARKS  - RIGHTS OF WAY
1 October 2007

Defra has granted National Parks the power to control the use of motor vehicles on the rights of way within their boundaries.  This has been in the press with the spin that National Parks can now ban 4x4 vehicles.  The press release can be viewed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/071001d.htm

Previously the National Parks could close byways but had to apply to the local Highways Authority to do so.  We don’t feel that this is going to make a significant difference to our greenlining activities.

BHCLRC GREENLANES FOOT & MOUTH POLICY

Club greenlaning activities will be arranged following these rules during a FMD outbreak:

Defra FMD Risk Area – no greenlaning. Vehicles and occupants could spread disease between farms

Defra FMD Low Risk Area – responsible greenlaning.  Avoid fields with livestock and other concentrations of livestock such as cows gathered on the road prior to milking.

Defra Blue Tongue Areas – no additional constraints for us so the same as the Defra FMD Low Risk Area.

COMMENTS CONCERNING THE AUTUMN 2007 FMD OUTBREAK

You will have heard on the news that Defra now has a ’foot & mouth risk area’ comprising 11 counties and that the rest of the UK has been designated as a ‘low risk area’.  There is also a ‘blue tongue temporary area’

See map but the FMD risk area includes Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex but NOT Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk which are included in the blue tongue area.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/map-fmdbt-zones280907.pdf

In summary the Defra rules are:

• FMD risk area – no movement of animals between farms (except in a controlled way straight to slaughter)
• FMD low risk area – movement of animals between farms is allowed but only in a strictly supervised way.

The blue tongue area is subject to similar movement restrictions as the FMD risk area.

Our understanding is that blue tongue is spread by midges and cannot be spread from animal to animal or via humans or vehicles.  It therefore seems that the implementation of the movement controls in the blue tongue area is to aid Defra in investigating whether the disease has spread beyond the animals killed to date and to track new cases of the disease elsewhere in the country.

Defras fact sheet 2 (which can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/factsheet2.pdf) discourages movement of vehicles between livestock farms during an outbreak

After careful consideration the club has formulated the following policy which will remain in force for the long-term and is intended to cover this and any future FMD outbreaks

• FMD risk area – no greenlaning – see Defra fact sheet attached
• FMD low risk area – responsible greenlaning but avoid fields with livestock and other concentrations of livestock such as cows being gathered on the road for milking. 
• Blue tongue area – as FMD low risk area

Position as at 01 October 2007

The following counties are within the FMD Risk Area and so no club greenlaning will be arranged:

• Oxfordshire
• Buckinghamshire
• Hertfordshire
• Essex
• Berkshire
• Greater London
• Hampshire
• Surrey
• Kent
• West Sussex
• East Sussex
• Bedfordshire – all lanes now closed for the winter as in previous years

We will however be arranging greenlaning in counties which fall within the FMD Low Risk Area.  You will appreciate that our choice of location is much more limited than usual.

Please be aware that FMD is a developing situation so things may change at short notice.