Learning from Foot and Mouth Disease, and preparing for what lies ahead.
Twenty five years on: remembering, learning, preparing
This page brings together reflections, stories, prayer and practical resources as we mark twenty five years since Foot and Mouth, and consider how churches can prepare for future rural emergencies.
What have we learned, and are we prepared as local faith communities to offer support in any future emergency?
It is twenty five years since the last major outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease devastated farming families and rural communities across the UK. For many, the memories remain vivid and painful. Animals culled, livelihoods halted, isolation enforced, and a deep sense of loss that reached far beyond the farm gate.
For over fifty years, The Arthur Rank Centre has walked alongside rural churches, farming communities and those who support them, particularly in times of uncertainty and crisis. During the Foot and Mouth outbreak, ARC played a key role in convening response, offering support, and helping rural communities find both practical and pastoral care amid profound disruption.
Through its work, partnerships and Country Way magazine, ARC has long sought to listen to rural voices as events unfold, not only in hindsight. This page brings together stories, reflections, prayer and resources as part of that continuing commitment, remembering what was endured and encouraging thoughtful preparation for what may lie ahead.
Last spring, the threat level of potential spread of Foot and Mouth into the UK was raised to medium following outbreaks in Germany, Slovakia and Hungary. Other animal diseases such as bluetongue and avian flu continue to pose real risks. Alongside this, extreme weather events bring flooding, crop failure and financial pressure, adding to the stress carried by those who live and work in rural areas.
In the midst of these challenges, local faith communities continue to offer chaplaincy, prayer, presence and practical care. Reflecting on the past quarter of a century, it is possible to glimpse stories of hope emerging from the ashes. Some of these stories are shared below.
(Then) Prince Charles visits to encourage the team
who are answering vast numbers of calls at The Arthur Rank Centre
at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, during the Foot and Mouth crisis in 2001.
Remembering Foot and Mouth: stories from the heart of the response – The Addington Fund Commences
The Addington Fund grew directly out of the emergency response initiated by The Arthur Rank Centre during the Foot and Mouth crisis, and continues to support farming families today.
Named in honour of
The Rev’d Canon Gerald Richard Addington, 1938-2002,
Co-Founder of the Addington Fund
Sue English, now Fund Director of the Addington Fund, reflects on those early days and the long legacy of what followed.
Sue writes…
In May 2001, just after finishing lambing and during a brief lull on the farm, I received a call from my local Agricultural Chaplain, an Anglican vicar, asking whether I could help answer the helpline for Addington Fund. In the year 2000, Addington Fund was started by two Suffolk rural clergy to support pig farmers in East Anglia whose herds had been devastated by swine fever. When the Foot and Mouth Disease crisis erupted in 2001, the charity redirected its surplus funds to respond to the national emergency.
The ARC Addington Fund, so named because The Arthur Rank Centre initiated the response, sprang into action almost overnight. Volunteers and staff with farming knowledge were recruited at speed, and my role became manning the helpline when farmers called for assistance. We were told we would be needed for only six months. Twenty five years later, I am still working for Addington Fund.
In 2001, we operated from the boardroom of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in Warwickshire, surrounded by eight constantly ringing phones. From 7am to 7pm, the calls never stopped. In just sixteen months, we processed over twenty two thousand applications and distributed over ten million pounds in emergency support. Every caller spoke to someone who listened.
Isolation, silence and resilience…
Farmers were deeply isolated during Foot and Mouth. Many were too frightened to leave their farms and, with footpaths closed, often saw no one for weeks. Rural churches rang their bells at midday every Sunday so that farmers knew they were not forgotten.
Some calls brought heartbreaking news. Family members told us the strain had become too much and that loved ones had taken their own lives. Mental health support in 2001 was virtually nonexistent, apart from organisations such as the Samaritans, who also helped our helpline team with advice on managing the emotional toll of the work. Supporting others through crisis carried its own quiet burden.
We listened as farmers described the deafening silence after their livestock had been culled. The emptiness of once busy milking parlours, cattle sheds and lambing barns stripped of life. The fear that their own farm might be next hung constantly over them, creating profound anxiety.
The timing could not have been worse. Foot and Mouth struck at the height of lambing season. Newborn lambs were often born outside in dreadful weather, and movement restrictions meant farmers could not bring them into sheds if this involved travelling on public roads. Many farms have fields far from the farmstead, making this an impossible situation.
One image published nationally of a newborn lamb, thick with mud from head to hoof because the farmer was forbidden to bring it into a dry lambing shed, led to a surge in donations. At the same time, the lamb export market collapsed. International buyers refused British lamb, prices fell below the cost of production, and farmers faced daily uncertainty.
Many of those we supported then, or their children, are still in touch today. Some have chosen to give back, donating to Addington Fund in recognition of the help they received during those dark and uncertain times. Churches that rang their bells in 2001 continue to stand with farming communities through prayer, harvest and Christmas giving.
As we mark twenty five years, we reflect on our roots and acknowledge that we are here today because of the seeds sown during that crisis. We continue to adapt and evolve the support we offer, so that we can stand alongside the farming community whenever times become tough.
Sue English
Fund Director, Addington Fund
Click here to visit and read more on the work of The Addington Fund today…
Further reflections…
Alongside these lived experiences, others have reflected theologically and pastorally on what Foot and Mouth revealed about rural life, isolation, resilience and the role of the church. Rev’d David Newlove, Methodist Minister and Agricultural Chaplain, explores these themes in a reflective piece written from within the rural church context in Cumbria, drawing out lessons that continue to shape how faith communities respond in times of crisis.
Read David’s reflection
From memories to preparedness: Download here “A practical resource for churches”
Remembering past crises also calls us to be better prepared for the future.
To mark this anniversary, the Methodist Rural Solidarity Circle has produced a practical Rural Emergency Response document to help churches and rural communities think through how they might respond before, during and after an emergency. We recommend that you download and save this pdf, and work through your own preparations as a church.
With grateful thanks to the Methodist Rural Solidarity Circle and all who contributed to its development.
A prayer from The Arthur Rank Centre
As we remember the impact of Foot and Mouth and reflect on what it means to be prepared for the future, we offer this prayer for our rural communities, churches and all who live and work in the countryside.
