A lack of insight by the local authorities

01/03/2001 00:00

Dear Sir,
As a frequent visitor to your wonderful island, I am amazed at the apparent lack of insight of your officials. That you now have Mad Cow disease following on Blue Tongue disease on the island shows how out of touch they are. Surely, having watched the rest of Europe going through the machinations of Mad Cow disease over some years, it should not have been too difficult to have seen the dangers and to have implemented the recent checks sooner. This along with the proposed tourist tax and the movement away from the Baleares to other cheaper countries, does not auger well for the islands' future. It would appear that like the UK government your officials don't have a finger on the pulse.

P.S. What is being done to stop any incidence of foot and mouth disease?

Sidney Meagre

EDITOR'S Note: the local authorities have taken all the necessary action to stop foot and mouth disease from reaching the Balearics. Livestock has not been imported to the Balearics for the last three years.

On mainland Spain, there are fears of an outbreak of the disease in sheep which had been imported from Britain. Spain was unprepared for Mad Cow but the same could be said for the rest of Europe.

So far there has been one reported case of BSE in Minorca.
All animals on the same farm will be slaughtered. Demand for beef has started to recover.