Orangemen and Orangewomen and their families will continue
to pray that the foot and mouth disease which threatens the
livelihood of many Ulster farmers is soon eradicated.
There has always been an affinity between the Orange Order
and the farming industry. That dates from the earliest days
of the Order which was founded in the rural areas of Co. Armagh
near Loughgall. The Order is immensely strong throughout the
whole of Northern I reland, and has a huge membership in farming
and rural areas. It also enjoys the respect of many Roman
Catholics in rural Ulster, as has been demonstrated down the
years when people of that faith have looked after the cattle
and the farms of their Orange neighbours on July 12 when the
brethren have been celebrating.
Agriculture is vital to the well-being of Northern Ireland
and its people. It is by far the largest industry in the Province,
and it is not just the farmers who depend on its livelihood,
but tens of thousands of other people in ancillary and service
industries.
The British were victors in two World Wars in the past century,
and it is not just the prowess of its armed service and fighting
men that the nation owed so much. Just as important, and perhaps
more so, was the contribution of the farmers who fed the nation
and whose contribution, especially when the German U-Boat
menace was at its height in both wars was so crucial.
That must never be forgotten, and now that the British mainland
and Ulster farming communities have their back to the wall,
they must be assisted by the Government and everyone else
to get over this crisis.
The Ulster countryside in all its beauty is one of the gems
of nature, and one of the jewels in the British tourist crown.
Visitors from every part of the world have often commented
on its breathtaking beauty. That magnificent picture has been
created in large measure by the farmers and their families
who have toiled so hard.
The least they deserve during the present foot and mouth
crisis is that everyone plays their part to reduce the risk
of the spread of the infection. It is not asking too much
of people and organisations to play their full part in helping
the farmers and the authorities in dealing with the matter.
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