2001 UK foot-and-mouth outbreak - 25 years on: "I do not want to see that happen again in my lifetime"

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker writes on what was a truly difficult time for farming and why it should serve as a stark reminder, 25 years later, for the Government to never take the UK's national biosecurity for granted

Phil Stocker

16 February 2026 • 2 min read

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NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: "The following weeks resulted in taking regular calls from farmers across the country, many of whom were in tears and facing the destruction of generations of livestock breeding. The anxiety and sense of loss I sensed from these farmers was immense and thinking back now, it still brings strong emotions to my mind."

I still have vivid memories of the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, but I am conscious that the memories of those directly affected who lost animals will be far more vivid. Personally, I was travelling...

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