The Scotsman reports that the Duchess of Hamilton, who the paper describes as “a high-profile animal welfare campaigner”, has erected a 10-foot stone memorial to the animals killed during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom.
The government relied largely on a strategy of slaughtering all animals within a 1.5 km radius of any confirmed presence of foot-and-mouth disease. Millions of animals were killed and their carcasses burned in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.
The Duchess of Hamilton’s memorial features a plaque that reads,
This memorial is dedicated to all the animal needlessly slaughtered in the foot-and-mouth crisis. We remember the persecution of the animal kingdom and the trauma inflicted upon our countryside. We resolve to work towards a more respectful, harmonious and sustainable relationship between the animal and human kingdoms. We resole to ensure that such an outrage will never be allowed to happen again.
Source:
Duchess unveils foot-and-mouth memorial. Christopher Claire, The Scotsman, June 15, 2003.