Who is at fault? Farms or parents?

People have dogs, cats, hamsters and even budgies. They’ve never made you or your children ill so the assumption seems to be that a trip to the local petting farm comes with the same lack of risk. Even though there are signs around warning about washing hands, it is easy to forget that farms animals harbour all kinds of germs and diseases you tend not to find in your household pet.

This reality has been starkly brought to light by the recent E-coli outbreak associated with petting farms around the country. It has also been revealed that the parents of one child involved have decided to pursue a negligence claim against the Godstone Farm in Surrey.

It was at the Godstone farm that the outbreak first came to the media’s attention and a total of 67 cases of E-coli have been identified as being linked to the farm. Three other farms have also closed: the sister farm to Godstone in Horton Park, White Post Farm in Nottinghamshire and World of Country Life Farm in Devon, which has closed down part of it’s operation.

The E-coli bug causes diarrhoea and vomiting which in the case of very young children can cause dehydration and kidney failure. 9 children who contracted the virus at Godstone have been hospitalised and are said to be recovering well. The Health Protection Agency have said that the outbreak is the largest to have come from animals in the UK.

It is the parents of one of these children, who has not been named, that have decided to take action against Godstone farm for negligence. Solicitor Jill Greenfield says she has been instructed by the parents of the “seriously ill” youngster. Her first steps will be to established the exact time line of events. Some concern has been raised that the outbreak was not reported in a timely fashion.

Ms Greenfield goes on to say that E-coli can cause long term damage to a child’s health and some children may need long term medical care, therefore compensation for that is reasonable. She will be meeting with the Health Protection Agency and the farm management this week to discuss the options.

The Government, meanwhile, has been considering whether to revise its guidelines on children’s contact with animals in these types of farms. An expert in Micro Biology, Professor Hugh Pennington has said that parents of under 5′s need to think about whether they allow their children to touch the animals. He admits however, that getting children of that age to wash their hands properly is difficult and that this age group would want to touch the animals.

It also comes down to parents to ensure that their children follow the strict hygiene rules required to protect them – such as washing their hands immediately after handling animals and before eating or drinking.

The expectation is that the compensation claims regarding this outbreak will come in thick and fast. While all sympathy is with the parents and the children – just how much care should a farm be expected to take? If they provide adequate means to wash hands and ensure visible warnings for people to take such action – surely they cannot be responsible if the advice is not taken?