© Devon County Council, 2002.
Extracts from evidence submitted to the Devon Foot and Mouth Inquiry 2001
Some 380 people and organisations, from Devon and beyond, submitted evidence to the Devon Foot and Mouth Inquiry during its investigations in the late summer and autumn of 2001. Fifty witnesses gave further evidence at the Inquiry's hearings in public held in Exeter over 8th -12th October 2001.
Together, these submissions reflect vividly the experience of individuals, communities and organisations throughout Devon during the worst Foot and Mouth epidemic ever recorded. They also provide a wealth of ideas about how the crisis might have been better tackled and how the social and economic life of the county can recover in the coming years.
The submissions reveal powerful first-hand accounts of what it was like for people to live through the Foot and Mouth crisis and they also contain the sober reflections of many agencies involved in responding to its immense challenge.
In support of the Inquiry's final report, the following pages bring together edited extracts from these accounts. These have in many cases been selected (and considerably shortened in length) from more detailed submissions made to the Devon Inquiry. They should not be read therefore as being representative of the full extent of evidence submitted by a particular person or organisation.
These selections are presented in two sections. Key quotes from people attending the Inquiry Hearings are followed by extracts from written submissions. Details of people and organisations who submitted evidence to the Devon Foot and Mouth Inquiry can be found in the Appendix.
In due course Devon County Council will place a full copy of all evidence submitted to the Inquiry on public deposit in the Devon Record Office to bear permanent witness to the Foot and Mouth crisis of 2001. For now, these extracts are offered to the reader as a compelling tapestry of insights and experiences, a glimpse of what three short words - "Foot and Mouth" - meant for one county.
These then are the "Voices from Devon".
| Voices from the Devon Inquiry Hearings 8th - 12th October 2001 | |
| Voices from the Written Submissions to the Devon Inquiry: | |
| Voices 1
Voices 2 Voices 3 | Voices 4
Voices 5 Voices 6 |
| Appendix | |
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© Devon County Council, 2002.