Last UK foot-and-mouth restrictions to be lifted

The remaining restrictions on livestock imposed in the wake of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in the UK will be lifted today after experts declared the disease had been eradicated.

Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said the regulations, which included a 20-day standstill for animals following movement and additional controls on livestock shows and markets, would cease from midday today.

Angry farmers affected by the outbreak last night called for the Pirbright facility to remain close until the source is found.

The surveillance zone around the infected premises near in Surrey will also be removed.

Dr Reynolds said: “I’m satisfied that foot-and-mouth has been eradicated from the UK in 2007.”

The move comes as official reports blamed faulty drainage systems at the nearby Pirbright laboratory for leaking the disease, coupled with heavy rain, building work and construction vehicles moving from the site.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which published its official report into the outbreak yesterday, said it was “pretty clear” that the virus escaped from Pirbright but said it was not possible to pinpoint whether the exact source was the Institute of Animal Health or Merial, which share the site.

HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger said his team’s examination of the site showed “long-term damage” to the pipework of the effluent system, which could have allowed the disease to escape.

“It was absolutely essential that this pipework was fully contained, and it was not,” he said.

He said the pipes showed damage from cracks and tree roots while manholes were left unsealed.

In addition, building work and the movement of soil from the area of the damaged pipes were not being adequately controlled, and vehicles were able to move off site towards nearby farming land where the disease infected herds of cattle.

Mr Podger also said the drains were unable to cope with recent heavy rains, which could have helped the spread of the virus.

Professor Brian Spratt, of University College, London, who conducted an independent review into the outbreak, raised concerns that insufficient funding led to poor maintenance of the drainage system and other parts of the site.

Prof Spratt said: “It is very clear the drainage system was defective, it was poorly maintained, rarely inspected and could leak.”

His report also said: “The poor state of the IAH laboratories, and the effluent pipes, indicates that adequate funding has not been available to ensure the highest standards of safety for the work on FMDV carried out at this ageing facility.”

And while he said it was “most likely” that the live virus originated from Merial, which was using the strain to manufacture vaccines, that did not mean the leak was the result of a biosecurity breach by the lab.

The inadequate maintenance of the system was labelled as “incredible and quite indefensible” by the National Farmers’ Union president Peter Kendall.

The farmers affected by the outbreak said they had lost thousands of pounds as a result of the restrictions on movement of animals in the wake of the outbreak.

The group have demanded answers from the Government as to how the virus could have escaped the security at the site.

Opposition MPs have also hit out at the Government’s failure to act after concerns were raised about the biosecurity of the drainage system at Pirbright.