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"WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2001 -13 Foot and mouth fears curtail local farm tours By Rik Davie The Star Measures taken by farmers to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease will have a profound effect on tourism here this year, according to local tour operators. Uxbridge Township Councillor Howie Herrema, himself a farmer, said recently that farmers are going so far as to prohibit visitors to prevent the spread of the disease. "I know through the federation (of agricul- ture) that some farms formerly on tours like the Durham Countryside Adventure are ask- ing to be taken off the tour to prevent visitors from Europe transmitting the disease," Mr. Foot and mouth disease afflicts cloven- hoofed animals such as pigs, sheep and cat- tle, causing sores and weight loss. In dairy cattle, milk production is dramatically reduced or stopped. In Europe an outbreak of the disease has resulted in the slaughter of thousands of ani- mals in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. It can be transmitted by humans, but is not harmful to them. One tour operator, Darlene Brown of The Durham Countryside Adventure, said that precautions to prevent adverse effects from farm visits must be taken by any tour com- Herrema said. pany. "We promote agriculture through our tours," Ms Brown said. "Not to take these type of cloven-hoofed operations off the tour would not be in the best interest of agricul- ture, and we are here to help local agricul- ture, not to harm it." Ms Brown said the tour, which includes arts, agriculture and other stops in its pro- grams, will focus on other aspects of agricul- ture this year. "We will promote more produce and field crop operations in order to keep the agricul- ture component of the tour strong and inter- esting," Ms Brown said. Bev Beach, another Uxbridge councillor with a long history in farming, said it is vital to local farms to prevent the disease being introduced into Canada. "Some farmers have worked many years to achieve the breeding and genetic quality of their herds," Councillor Beach (Ward 2) said. "One person bringing this disease onto a farm could see the work of several genera- tions of breeding wiped out." Councillor Herrema (Ward 3) said local farmers are taking care with their herds. "For many farmers the make-up of a dairy herd is not just their income," he said. "It is a lifetime of work. We just cannot take a chance, and no one would expect us to." * Durham, York police launch campaign By Rik Davie The Star Durham and York Regional 'Police formed a different type of border guard in Udora this week as they kicked off their seat belt awareness week. Officers from both forces manned spot-checks in "Udora, where York Region meets Durham, to check for motorists wearing their seatbelts. Lee Smith, traffic safety co-ordinator for North Durham, said that while the number of drivers who don't buckle up is drop- ping, every year the excus- es for those who don't stay the same. "The most common we hear are, it's uncomfort- able; 1 forgot; and the old stand-by, I'm just going down the street," Const. Smith said. The fine for "just going down the street," without a seat belt is $110, same as on long trips. Transport Canada reports about a 92 per cent compliance by drivers with 'seatbelt laws. But that still leaves 8 per cent driving without them. "It's disturbing," one offi- cer told The Star. "I remem- ber one (accident) a few years ago in Scugog, where there were three teenagers in a pickup truck, all with- out belts. They all went through the windshield and we had to search around in the dark to find bodies." Saturday (April 21) is Love-Me Buckle Me Day. Police are asking parents and caregivers of young- sters to make sure child safety seats are installed and used properly. Facts about how we use the safety seats are disturb- ing. a Of the children who died in crashes i in 1997 only half were properly restrained. a While 92 per cent of us wear our seat belts, of the persons killed in crashes, 32 per cent were not wear- ing seatbelts. ~ a Ofthe 15 people killed in the horrific crash along the Chatham-London stretch of Hwy. 401 in 1999, seven were ejected from their vehicles. a Transport Canada sta- tistics on child safety seats suggest that as many as 33 per cent are installed _._ improperly, with as many as 25 per cent of rear-facing seats installed facing for- ward. PORT PERRY DENTAL ASSOCIATES * EVENING APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE + DENTISTRY WHILE YOU SLEEP * GENERAL ANAESTHESIA AVAILABLE 462 PAXTON ST. (ACROSS FROM PORT PERRY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL) From left to right: Julie Anne Pratt, Jane Purvis, Tammy, Purvis CONGRATULATIONS TO ugar & Spice Sears Agent #7198 85 River St., Sunderland 705-357-1819 Frozen Yogurt ® Snacks & Sweets ® Lindsay Dry Cleaners for their Operational and Customer Service Excellence earning them the award as Sears Catalogue Agent of the Year for Ontario East/Central re ------ RETR TS --