Christian Conference on Quarantine Issues

In 2007 with a kind of prophetic foresight the Churches Rural Group arranged a One Day Onference to address issues of major epedemics (e.g. Foot and Mouth Disease, Blue Tongue and Bird Flu), and how the churches respond.

The Churches Rural Group is a co-ordinating committee of Churches Together in England.  The Conference was open to anyone and entitled "Responding Pastorally to Quarantine Situations".  It was held at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London. The event cost £25.

Quarantine Situations is an ugly way of referring to those occasions when disease strikes, a cull is ordered, and those of us in rural ministry are excluded from making the pastoral visit which would otherwise be our natural response. We were kept off farms when Foot and Mouth Disease struck. The recent outbreak of Bird ‘Flu was accompanied by bio-security measures. How long before Blue Tongue strikes?

PROGRAMME

1200 “Faith Communities and the ‘Flu Pandemic”
Mgr John Devine

Buffet Lunch

1315 Our DEFRA vet surveys the current & future possibilities
A farmer will speak of being ‘taken out’ with FMD

Comfort Break

1415 “Responding to Crises”
Farm Crisis Network