Global to Local: The Case of Foot and Mouth Disease in Cumbria

Abstract

The extract and quotation above convey something of the nature, scale and devastation of the 2001 FMD disaster in Cumbria and how it was experienced by Cumbrian rural communities, households and individuals. How did individuals and groups endure daily disruption and what was for many profound loss, and for many more, the fear of loss? For most there was an altered everyday reality that has left a lasting memory. Drawing on a wide range of sources, we chart both a collective story of what happened in Cumbria and individual stories, personal recollections from local people who worked closely with us. The collective and individual reveal indexical accounts of FMD (references to concrete events in time and place) and rich, diverse, sometimes contradictory narratives or stories that nevertheless became coherent when brought together. This storytelling, a co-ethnography of the 2001 FMD disaster captures both personally meaningful accounts of trauma and recovery and localized cultural context of experience. First, however, we start by briefly considering the history of FMD in the UK and some of the ‘numbers’ related to the 2001 epidemic.

Cumbria in Northwest England was at the epicentre of the epidemic. It suffered 893 outbreaks⁹ and was the second longest affected area. The County which is rich in natural heritage and scenically beautiful, has livestock farming, tourism and outdoor recreation among its economic mainstays. The effect of FMD was therefore devastating.

(Cumbria Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiry Report 2002:9)

BBC Radio Cumbria broadcast from the heart of the crisis. We were relied on for fast and accurate reporting of the facts, our ability to understand and capture the mood of the community, and our regular scrutiny of key decision makers. […] We introduced a five minute foot and mouth bulletin that ran seven times a day at the peak of the outbreak.

(Graham, 2001: 5)