The British government moved to shore up consumer confidence today as the UK's poultry industry faced the prospect of multimillion-pound losses following an outbreak of the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Confusion surrounds the status of one of Scotland's top cattle breeding farm as the number of foot and mouth cases north of the border rose.

A British animal welfare group has released a video of conditions on pig farms which it claims may have contributed to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Vets believe that more cases of foot-and-mouth are likely to emerge.

British farmers are being warned to check their animals after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among pigs was confirmed.