Foot-and-mouth checks introduced for athletes in Canada

A Canadian university is introducing measures to stop foreign athletes spreading foot-and-mouth.

The University of Alberta is expecting hundreds of athletes from around the world to train for the world track-and-field championships in Edmonton.

But the campus is less than 100 metres from the university's research farm, which keeps more than 1,000 pigs, sheep and cattle.

John Kennelly, chairman of the university's agriculture department, says athletes will face tough health safety checks to ensure livestock isn't infected.

"If foot-and-mouth was introduced into Canada, the consequences would be catastrophic," he is reported as saying in the Calgary Herald.

"When the consequences are catastrophic, you want to reduce any risk."