Carrie, being a strict vegetarian I never thought this horrible foot & mouth would actually have an effect on me simply because any shortage of meat was a moot point...that is until I read your last post. I realized that this is not just a loss of meat in the market, it's the slaughter of way too many innocent animals, animals not even bred to be meat animals, and the potential bankruptcy of many farmers. And until I read your last post, I never actually thought that among all the slaughtered animals, there had to be some very special individuals who were "pets" to the farmers. I am not saying I did not care about the disease, it is still horrible and sad and scary, but I realized that it's not just affecting the animals that were going to be slaughtered anyway, it's affecting mother animals, baby animals, "pet" animals, working animals, dairy animals and it's cutting off possibly all sources of income for alot of people. I can't imagine if computers all went dead tomorrow...not only would I be out of work because I do desktop support, but so does my husband. It would leave us either living with my mom or out on the streets...it would cause us to have to sell our cars, our possessions, and worst of all...we could no longer afford pets. It's not just about the animals that were going to get slaughtered anyway. Unfortunately I did not realize that until reading your last post. I was narrow-minded to think that, it affects an unmeasurable amount more then that. I am so saddened for all those people who have to send their entire stock of sheep, cattle, pigs, and whatever else is infected or in an infected area to slaughter. In reality, they are not only losing their animals but I can imagine most may also being losing their homes/farms/jobs/income due to this. Is there anything the Government is doing to help the farmers make it through this? Are they setting up a fund for all farmers affected so people don't lose their homes and possessions? Are farmers going bankrupt? I feel bad for not seeing the full reality of this horrible disease just because I don't eat meat. I hope there is an end to it soon before it spreads even further, and I hope the farmers who are losing their animals are able to cope and find other means of income, and I hope that the animals who are sent to slaughter have a quick, painless death with little suffering and fear, and most of all, I hope all of those empty, lonely fields are once again dotted with healthy animals soon. I am headed to bed now, but feeling awfully heavy hearted and guilty for not realizing sooner how sad this disease truly is. I will say a sincere prayer tonight this heartbreaking disease to be over and done with, Carrie...and I will mean it