Foot and mouth
Like thousands of others across the county, I was deeply shocked by the news that we had an outbreak of foot & mouth here in Surrey.
This is the kind of thing that happens to other areas - how could it possibly have happened right on our very doorstep at a small farm in Guildford?
At the time of writing, it appears that the case could be linked to a research laboratory in Pirbright, but the details are still sketchy, and this is yet to be confirmed.
I'm the first to admit that I know very little about the disease myself, which last cast its spectre over the UK in 2001, but I do know that I really feel for the farmers affected and can't imagine what they are going through.
As a vegetarian, I also wince at the inevitable animal culls that are taking place.
Watching the TV coverage last night, it was a report from yesterday's Cranleigh Show that really brought it all home - vast swathes of empty pens that would normally be bustling with noisy farm animals.
Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.