Alexander Birtwistle

Brigadier Alexander Frederick Birtwistle CBE (born 1948) is a retired British Army officer who is most well known for his role in the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Alex Birtwistle was born in Accrington and attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School. The Army is here to set up systems to deal with the problem. I hope this is going to work, because if it doesn't the consequences for this area are terrible.

He was appointed a CBE in the 2002 New Year Honours for his role in the crisis.

On 6 February 2011 he appeared on television in an edition of the BBC 1 programme Countryfile. He contributed his recollections of the crisis and was seen with John Craven and retired farmer William Littleat, planting an oak tree to mark the tenth anniversary of the crisis at the Watchtree Nature Reserve that has been created on the Great Orton airfield site.