Foot-and-mouth outbreak sparks fears in UK

The spectre of the foot-and-mouth epidemic that brought chaos to Britain six years ago returned tonight when a fresh outbreak was confirmed.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown cancelled his holiday and joined an emergency government meeting after being told the disease had been found on a farm near Guildford, Surrey.

Meanwhile a nationwide ban on the movement of all sheep, cattle and pigs was put in place.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that a three kilometre “protection zone” and a 10 kilometre “surveillance zone” had been imposed around the farm.

A spokesman refused to give its exact location, but a graphic on the Defra website showed the centre of the zones to be between Guildford and Aldershot.

The foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001 had a devastating impact on the UK’s farming industry and tourism.

It led to the slaughter of between 6.5 to 10 million animals, ruined many farmers and rural businesses and is estimated to have cost the country up to £8.5bn.

The Defra spokesman said tonight: “Following an investigation of suspected vesicular disease by Animal Health on a holding near Guildford in Surrey, laboratory results have this evening indicated that the Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus is present in samples from cattle on the premises.

“On the basis of initial laboratory results, Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Veterinary Officer, has confirmed Foot-and-Mouth Disease.”

All the cattle on the farm will be killed, he said.

He added: “Nationally no animal movements are allowed except under licence, controls are in place on movement of animal carcasses, animal gatherings, shearing and dipping are restricted, and all farms must increase levels of biosecurity.

“In both the protection and surveillance zones, there will be requirements for increased levels of biosecurity on farms, movement controls, controls on transportation of dung/manure and treatment of animal products to ensure destruction of the FMD virus.”

The farm has been under restrictions since late on Thursday evening when symptoms were reported to the local animal health office.

The European Commission has been informed, Defra said.

Meanwhile the Government’s Cobra emergency contingencies committee met this evening to discuss the outbreak, with Mr Brown taking part by phone from his holiday in Dorset.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that Mr Brown will return from his holiday tomorrow to chair another Cobra meeting at the Cabinet Office in the morning. She did not give details of other ministers taking part in this evening’s talks.

“Our top priority is to prevent the spread of this disease in order to protect farmers’ stock,” said the spokeswoman.

“The plans are tested and well-established.”