Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Foot and Mouth: Its all Merial's fault!

I have read the Health and Safety Executive's interim report on the foot and mouth outbreak, and reported on it here. It is equivocal, because frankly we just do not at this stage know who is to blame, nor how it happened.

However, I note that all news broadcasts I have listened to from the BBC seem to be pointing in one direction and one direction only, namely Merial Animal Health.

This seems to me to be unnecessary pre conclusion spinning. I am aware that the odds are very much in favour of the Pirbright site being the start of the infection, however the investigation is very much ongoing. There is no need to say more, nor cast any blame, yet it seems the spinners are on the case.

It may well be that they are guilty as charged, but I would say two things:

  • The jury is out.
  • They will come out fighting.
What is more, if the initial spin turns out to be wrong, there will be trouble ahead.

5 comments:

flashgordonnz said...

Good old aunty...

Anonymous said...

Yes Flash. Mind you I did not hear any other boradcasters so they may be doing it as well.

chatterbox said...

Never mind Auntie, you have obviously not been listening to Sky! 48 hours of Labour spin reported as fact.
On a couple of occasions I really think that a line was crossed.

Ralph said...

The BBC and Murdoch have moved from Merial to sabotage as an option. I wonder if any of the people working at Pirbright are called Kelly.

Benedict White said...

Chatterbox, I don't watch Sky news much... Thanks for the update.

Ralph, interesting. Merial will bite back if they think they are getting unfairly shafted I suspect. Their reputation is on the line.