Latest news with #Animaland
Wales Online
21-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
British travellers warning about ‘highly contagious disease' spreading in Europe
British travellers warning about 'highly contagious disease' spreading in Europe The UK government has 'already taken action' according to the FCDO Model of a foot and mouth disease virus capsid. (Image: Martin McCarthy ) The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has shared information which Brits need to know about to protect them from what has been described as the 'highly contagious' foot and mouth disease if they are travelling to Slovakia. There are increased vehicle inspection measures, especially on freight vehicles, and the temporary closure of some crossing points on the Austrian and Hungarian borders. This is due to a range of emergency measures introduced by the Slovak government in March 2025 following the outbreak. Czechia also has border control checks in place on its border with Slovakia. Details of restrictions in place can be found on the Slovak Ministry of the Interior's website( in Slovak only). For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The UK Government has already taken action to prevent the commercial import from Slovakia of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other non- domestic ruminants and porcines such as deer and their untreated products, such as fresh meat and dairy. This will protect farmers and their livestock. Since March 8, travellers to GB have not been able to bring meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal by products of pigs and ruminants, or hay or straw, from Hungary and Slovakia after a case on the Hungarian border with Slovakia. Article continues below The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following the recent outbreaks in Hungary, Germany and now Slovakia. There are no cases in the UK currently. FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas, and alpacas. Livestock keepers should therefore be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity. FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat, and milk for affected countries. UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said: "Foot and Mouth disease has now been confirmed in Slovakia, we remain in contact with our European counterparts to understand the latest situation. "We have seen a disturbing number of foot and mouth cases on the continent, and we need to stay on high alert to the risk of disease incursion – as a government, at the border and on our farms. "Protecting animal health and minimising the risk of disease incursion remains our top priority. Livestock keepers are reminded to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said: "With disease now confirmed in Slovakia , it is clear the Government's precautionary approach to ban Slovakian imports was the right one. "The confirmation of a Foot and Mouth disease in a third European country is a serious concern, the government will take whatever action is necessary to prevent the further spread of disease. "Ensuring the safety of our livestock sector and protecting our farmers will always be a top priority. Article continues below "This comes as the government announced a £200 million investment in the UK's main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease. "
BBC News
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sheffield: Animator Arthur Humberstone celebrated in exhibition
A new exhibition has opened celebrating artist and animator Arthur Humberstone, whose work featured in films including Watership Down, Animal Farm, and the retrospective, on show at Sheffield Hallam University's Post Hall gallery, has been put together by third-year graphic design material has been provided by his twin sons, and fellow graduates of the university, Nigel and Klive free event will be open to the public until 5 April. Arthur Humberstone was born in Derbyshire in 1912. He died in 1999 at the age of trained at the Gaumont British Animation studio, before working on Animal Farm at the Halas and Batchelor career spanned 45 years, working across feature films, animated series, and TV adverts. Nigel's favourite part of the exhibition is a recreation of the animation desk his father used while working from home."We remember the smell of wood shavings from his pencils and the graphite. It's one of those smells that lingers, but every time we smell it, we're reminded of his work," he was always keen on home screenings of his work, Nigel added, but his two sons were not always so keen to watch them."We were teenagers, like 16 or 17, when Watership Down came out - we were more interested in punk music than bunnies!" "It's in retrospect we've really appreciated the depth and the broad range of his work." Klive, on the other hand, is drawn to a series of drawings that Arthur sent their mum while they were drawings are early sketches of the horse character, Boxer, from Animal Farm, and are annotated with short notes explaining how they would be played in sequence to make the character move."These wouldn't exist today unless they were sent - he was proud of what he was doing," said university said the exhibition is not only intended to showcase Arthur's work, but also reflects the history of animation.A 1944 "model sheet" for Animaland character Ginger Nutt is covered in annotations for future artists that would work on the cartoon includes meticulous details like "you cannot see her triceps" and "her skin stretches over her scapula from just above her elbow". Klive said his dad was a "lovely family man", but was happiest at his animation desk."He always used to have time for us, but it was always 'his little studio' he used to go to."Nigel explains: "There's diary entries and letters he wrote to our mum, always apologising he couldn't meet up and had deadlines to meet - he got very engrossed in his work."The pair said it "makes sense" to have his work on display, rather than being kept in storage boxes as it had been previously."The greatest thing is we get to share it with everyone, and they get to see it," said Nigel. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
