[cdn-nucl-l] " animal burial " versus " nuke dump "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1244000/1244971.stm
Tuesday, 27 March, 2001, 10:29 GMT 11:29 UK
Scots animal burial site chosen

A 25-acre site south of Lockerbie has been chosen for the mass burial of carcasses north of the Border.
But a local councillor said people were still confused as to whether the burial of animals at Birkshaw Forest would be enough to finally rid the region of the disease.
The vice chairman of the Dumfries and Galloway National Farmers Union, Robin Spence, said that despite the fact locals do not like the idea of being near a mass burial ground, they see it as the only way to eradicate the disease.
It is expected sheep will be brought to the site on Wednesday for burial as efforts to curb the outbreak are stepped up.
Councillor Andrew Bell told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that people were actually surrpised that mass burial had not taken place far sooner.
He said: "I think a lot of locals have been thinking 'why on earth aren't they burying rather than burning these animals'.
"I'm sure all the local agencies have been brought in on this and every possible safety precaution will be taken."
The site is in close proximity to infected farms in Gretna and Dumfries and will be used to initially bury unaffected sheep that have been culled within the 3km zone.
But Mr Bell said locals were worried about when the region would be completely free from the virus.
"It's also so important that we use the right roads to get into the burial site," he said.
"The word terror is not quite right but people are very frightened of this disease. I think we still have a long way to go."
Personally I can't see the point of vaccinating then slaughtering. Get this slaughter thing up and running quickly
Mr Spence said: "It would be very easy to say not in my backyard, but it has to be somewhere and if we are to have any hope of fighting this disease then we have to get on top if it."
He said the region had endured a frustrating period without a site for the burial of carcasses and acting in a quick and efficient manner was the key to conquering the disease.
Mr Spence said: "We've got to take the broader picture here. If we don't stop this in Dumfries and Galloway there is going to be no stock elsewhere in the country for us to re-stock from."
The River Annan runs by the burial site and environmental fears have been raised about the possibility of the disease travelling by water.
Tourism pledge
But trees have been cut down to prevent the chance of disease spread.
Mr Spence added: "There has been talk of vaccination and then slaughter. Personally I can't see the point of vaccinating then slaughtering. Get this slaughter thing up and running quickly."
He said that he did not feel it would be a long term option.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Tourist Board has expressed concern over the reporting of the epidemic and the affect it is having on the industry.
STB chief executive Peter McKinlay said: "We are very concerned about the reporting of foot-and-mouth particularly abroad and want to ensure that messages about Scotland being open for business are seen far and wide."
Mr McKinlay added that the board's website would continue to encourage visitors to the country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1243000/1243725.stm
Monday, 26 March, 2001, 19:24 GMT 20:24 UK
Mass cull burial site earmarked

A 25-acre site in south-west Scotland has been earmarked for the mass burial of up to 200,000 animal carcasses destroyed because of foot-and-mouth disease.
The Scottish Executive announced that the landfill site at Birkshaw Forest, south of Lockerbie, is intended to speed up the disposal of potentially-infected animals.
The site should be available to receive animal carcasses by Wednesday, according to the Executive.
The news came as the total number of confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth in Dumfries and Galloway rose to 88 on Monday.
Although all cases of the disease in Scotland have been within Dumfries and Galloway, there is concern that the outbreak has spread to the west of the region, which was previously unaffected.
On Saturday, a farm at Castle Douglas was confirmed as having the disease, whereas previous cases had been to the east of the town of Dumfries.
Farming liaison officer Robin Spence said: "There is huge concern that the disease is spreading west.
"We have to be brutal and pre-emptive and take out all the infected stock."
Meanwhile, Scotland Office Minister George Foulkes has praised Borders Council for its handling of the crisis and preventing the disease spreading to the region.
Mr Foulkes was in Hawick and Galashiels on Monday to see how the region was coping.
He said the fact it remains disease free for the time being was proof of the council's competence in the matter.
In recent weeks the council has received criticism from farmers in the Newcastleton area.
They said not enough was being done to decontaminate vehicles entering the region from Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria.
A member of the ruling administration - Liberal Democrat Norman Pender - broke ranks with council colleagues by saying much tougher measures were required.
But the Scottish Borders Caravan Council has been cancelled because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.
The council said the number of confirmed bookings had dropped to around 120, from the 500 they expected.
Many people kept their caravans on farm sites and could not gain access to them, and the preferred venue for the festival was no longer available.
Senior councillors are meeting with tourism officials on Monday to discuss the possibility of relaxing some of the countryside movement restrictions to help entice visitors back to the region.