Foot-and-mouth infection prevented in the north of England

Tough biosecurity measures introduced to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth in the north of England have succeeded, UK Government officials said.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the threat of disease in the Thirsk area had diminished because of the strict clampdown.

The most recent confirmed case of foot-and-mouth in North Yorkshire was on August 7.

The biosecurity measures were introduced in a ‘‘blue box’’ affecting 900 square miles of farmland in North Yorkshire on July 30.

The zone was created in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease from Thirsk to pig farms across the Vale of York and beyond.

Under the clampdown, tough biosecurity measures were introduced, including stringent disinfection requirements.

A Defra spokesman said that farmers would still face restrictions on the movement of animals in North Yorkshire, and urged the farming community not to be complacent.

He said: ‘‘The level of disease is now no greater than other parts of North Yorkshire. We cannot say it is free of the disease, that will take some time, but we are a step down the road.’’

From today, police and trading standards officers will no longer patrol the area on the lookout for people breaking the measures.

However, the Defra spokesman said farmers should not drop their guard and should maintain high levels of cleansing and disinfecting.

‘‘No-one should relax,’’ he added. ‘‘The only way we got to this stage was by people being vigilant.’’