Foot & Mouth

[Siouxsie]

Has been found in Guildford. All movement on cattle and pigs has been banned.

It was only 2001, when we had the last huge breakout. Hope this ends up being on a smaller scale

[smirnoff]

bugger we arent far away from guildford....

[smirnoff]

but then again, im not planning on moving pigs and cattle.. just children! LOL

[KitKat]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/6930684.stm Thats a link to the story. I really hope its contained and dealt with better this time. Its Gordon Browns first big "home" test.

[Emsickle]

Oh crumbs - I hope its an isolated case...:crossfing

[kathyhinsh]

oh no, not again1

[smirnoff]

at least the relevant ministers are actually not staying on holiday and actualyl coming back to "DO" something about it...

[ruthie]

Gosh lets hope it doesn't have the awful effects like last time, I bet some farmers are only just about back on their feet again.

[Bunny]

I can't believe it's back, thank god they're not having the pyres this time, that was smell I'll never forget, I hope it's contained this time and doesn't spread

[Netty]

Oh no! I really hope it is contained this time too.

I see that they have cancelled the Cockermouth and District Agricultural Show today, Bunny, is that anywhere near you?

[*debbie*]

big blow for farmers with livestock and for the country as exports of livestock will be stopped

Hope they nip it in the bud and it doesnt spread :kisshands:

[Bunny]

Oh no! I really hope it is contained this time too.

I see that they have cancelled the Cockermouth and District Agricultural Show today, Bunny, is that anywhere near you?

That show is around 25 miles away from me, unlike other shows that are carrying on without livestock this had to be cancelled as it is mainly a livestock only event and it is deep in the farming community. It's a shame as it brings so much money into the area (Cockermouth is a beautiful old fashioned town)

[Bunny]

Was just thinking that it good be a few more days before the full extent of this outbreak is realised. Where had that farmer been the past week, where has he moved his livestock to and from ? Who has been to his farm and then on to another farm ?

[Netty]

Suppose this means my neighbour (abbatoir!) will not be too busy this week ...

Is it just cows and sheep that are affected by the ban, or does it include pigs too?

[Bunny]

any cloven hoofed animals are affected

[Emsickle]

The strain of foot-and-mouth disease found at a Surrey farm has been identified, Defra has said.

The strain detected in infected cattle is identical to that used at the Institute for Animal Health, at Pirbright, three miles from the farm.

Defra could not say the laboratory was the source but has increased the size of the protection and surveillance zones covering farms in the area.

An urgent assessment of biosecurity has begun at the institute.

Precautionary measures

In a statement Defra said: "The present indications are that this strain is a 01 BFS67-like virus, isolated in the 1967 foot and mouth disease outbreak in Great Britain."

The vaccine batch which used the strain was being produced by pharmaceutical company Merial Animal Health, which shares Pirbright with the Institute of Animal Health (IAH). Merial has halted vaccine production on a precautionary basis, Defra said.

Defra said in its statement: "This incident remains at an early stage. It is too soon to reach any firm conclusions.

"All potential sources of the virus will continue to be investigated.

"All other precautionary measures announced yesterday [Saturday] remain in place."

Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said it was too soon to say anything conclusive about the source of the virus.

She has ordered a single protection zone to encompass both the infected farm premises and the Pirbright site, with a single 10km radius surveillance zone.

There has been a cull of one other herd of cattle near the farm as a precautionary measure but there were no signs of infection in any animals there, Ms Reynolds confirmed.

Andrew Biggs, of the British Cattle Veterinary Association, said: "It doesn't surprise me greatly. The proximity of this farm to Pirbright was something some of us had noticed."

Leading microbiologist Hugh Pennington told the BBC that identification of the type of strain was a "tribute to the strength of the science of foot-and-mouth".

Paul Temple, of the National Farmers' Union, said he was keeping an open mind over the situation.

A UK-wide ban on the movement of livestock had already been put in place.

Some 64 cattle have been culled at Wolford farm, near Guildford, after testing positive for foot-and-mouth.

Following the outbreak on this farm a 3km protection zone was put in place around the premises, close to the village of Wanborough, to try to halt the spread of the disease which wreaked havoc across the UK in 2001.

There was also a 10km surveillance zone where nearby animals are monitored, as well as an 8km air exclusion zone around the site.

On Saturday evening Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired his second Cobra emergency committee meeting of the day on the issue after he cut short his Dorset holiday to return to London.

He is due to chair another meeting of Cobra on Sunday morning.

The outbreak in 2001 led to between 6.5 million and 10 million animals being destroyed and cost as much as £8.5bn.