Fears of a new UK foot-and-mouth case

A new foot and mouth disease temporary control zone has been set up at a site in Surrey outside the existing surveillance zone, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs in the UK said tonight.

The zones were set up as a precautionary measure after concerns were raised that animals at both sites were displaying symptoms of the disease.

Stephen Furnival, whose arable farm is at centre of the scare in Kent, said he “fully supports” the setting up of the control zone.

But the decision to impose the zones will come as a blow to farmers who had been hoping that the foot and mouth outbreak had been contained.

Speaking outside Honeychild Manor Farm, Mr Furnival said: “I understand that the setting up of a temporary control zone is a normal response and therefore I fully support this, pending the results of the tests.”

It was the first temporary exclusion zone to be established outside Surrey where there have been two confirmed cases.

Mr Furnival called in vets after noticing some of his calves had unusual lesions on the muzzles of their mouths.

“Knowing the current situation I thought it was prudent to notify the authorities immediately,” he said.