Farmers fear worst as disease spreads further

Farmers are preparing for the foot and mouth crisis to spread further after the disease took hold in two new counties.

A record daily total of 25 more outbreaks were confirmed yesterday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, bringing the total to 164.

They include cases in Gloucestershire, in the Forest of Dean, and a farm in Kent, both of which were previously unaffected. Four new suspected cases of foot and mouth are being investigated in Lancashire.

Two farms in the Withnell area and two in the Halton area of the county are suspected of having the disease. At the moment, there are three confirmed cases in Lancashire and five "dangerous contact" cases.

Gloucestershire dairy farmer and NFU national council member Jan Rowe, who farms near Cheltenham, said: "It's beginning to frighten a lot of people around here. You feel so helpless. There's so little you can do for the poor chap. I've heard the early indications are that this outbreak may have spread from one in Hereford and Worcester."

Despite the rise in cases, Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said he was "absolutely certain" that the crisis was under control.

Mr Brown said they could all be traced back to the original outbreak, although he still could not say how many more would emerge.

NFU president Ben Gill said: "We do know that the movement restrictions have curtailed any potential contagion around the country, but we still do not know at this stage exactly where the sheep that were moved from the infected markets went.

"Equally, we cannot control the movement of the virus by wind or, as seems to be the case, by starlings, which have been descending en masse on certain buildings.

"It is an emergency for farming and has been for some time. But 25 cases is the worst daily tally this time. In 1967 we got up to 80 cases in one day and I hope we don't get to that this time, but it is possible."