20th anniversary of the foot and mouth disease outbreak

That this House notes the 20th anniversary of the first recorded case of Foot and Mouth Disease on 19 February 2021; pays tribute to the thousands of farmers and their families, agricultural workers, and rural communities who bore the brunt of the tragedy and faced appalling emotional trauma and financial loss; notes the damaging impact of the outbreak on the hospitality and tourism sector; expresses gratitude to the veterinarians and military personnel who played vital roles in containing the disease; resolves to keep the lessons learned from the outbreak in the three subsequent independent inquiries under permanent review to ensure that no such animal disease outbreak happens again; and celebrates the resilience and determination of rural communities that enabled them to emerge stronger, providing hope and inspiration to this generation as it tackles the coronavirus.