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Children's farms on E-Coli alert

Sep 27 2009 by Sam Wood, Sunday Sun

Heather Hogarty, co-owner at Whitehouse Farm near Morpeth, Northumberland, said: “Health and safety is of paramount importance and we follow all guidelines.

“We have strict controls regarding hygiene and the health and welfare of our visitors, animals and staff. Animal petting is supervised by staff. All animal pens are regularly cleaned and disinfected, contact areas which children may touch are disinfected every morning.

“We invited Environmental Health to the farm this week to take advice and we will install a further hand washing area within the Petting Barn.”

Mandy Oliver from Ouseburn farm

And a new farm which only opened this week has also taken steps to prevent infections, including printing T-shirts reminding people to wash their hands. Ouseburn Farm’s manager, Mandy Oliver, said: “There are extra signs and places for visitors to clean their hands.

“We have put double fences around some of the animals so that children can’t touch them. Council environmental health officers have looked around and there is nothing for people to worry about.”

Carol Clark, who has run the Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm for 20 years with her husband, said investigations were ongoing but she believed the infection could have come from a group of calves which they bought recently.

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