New foot-and-mouth case confirmed

Wednesday, 12 September 2007

A new case of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in the same county as the UK's last outbreak.

The government has set up a 10km (6.2 mile) control zone centred on the affected site near Egham, Surrey, and a pre-emptive slaughter has been ordered.

A national movement ban has been put in place to prevent the disease spreading from Milton Park Farm, Stroude Road.

A report into the August outbreak blamed a leaking pipe at the Pirbright animal research site in Surrey.

'Happening again'

Dr Reynolds, said the control zone was put in place swiftly because "containment and eradication of foot-and-mouth is our top priority".

She urged farmers to remain vigilant and report any suspicions.

The EU has halted plans to lift the export ban on livestock products from the area around the original outbreak.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is due to chair a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee at 1700 BST (1600 GMT).

A farmer at Stroude Farm, Stroude Road, said he had heard nothing of the news.

He said: "This has made me go all cold. It was only Monday that they opened up the country after the last time.

"I can't believe it's happening again. I have heard nothing about it. You'd think they'd let us know."

The Cobra meeting will take place once the government has received the results.

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, said it was an "absolute disaster" for British agriculture.

Previous outbreak

The control zone was set up around the suspected outbreak at 0935 BST.

Earlier in the summer, two farms tested positive for the disease but the all-clear has since been given.

Foot-and-mouth was confirmed in a herd of cattle at Woolford Farm in Surrey on 3 August.

A second case, at a farm nearby, was confirmed on 7 August.

On 7 September, the government declared Surrey to be foot-and-mouth free.

A report into the previous outbreak found it was probably caused by leaking drains, heavy rain and building work at the Pirbright site, four miles from where the disease was originally found.

But the Health and Safety Executive said it was not clear which of the two labs which share the site - Merial, a private pharmaceutical company, and the Institute of Animal Health (IAH) - were responsible.