EU to take leading role over foot and mouth

EMERGENCY vaccination should be used as a measure of first rather than last resort by countries fighting foot and mouth disease, the European Parliament suggested in Strasbourg yesterday.

A cross-party committee of members, which examined how several European Union states handled foot and mouth disease outbreaks in 2001, said the EU should play “an essential role” in deciding whether a member state should vaccinate.

The report should form the basis of updated legislation due to be proposed by the European Commission later this month.