Dutch prepare for mass slaughter

The Dutch Government is being criticised by farmers

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The Dutch Government is preparing to slaughter up to 100,000 animals in an effort to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Three new cases of the virus were confirmed on Thursday, bringing the total in the Netherlands to 10. Prime Minister Wim Kok described the outbreak as a "national disaster."

In Britain, where the number of confirmed cases has reached 780, Prime Minister Tony Blair has set the weekend as a deadline for deciding whether to introduce selective vaccination to try and stop its spread.

An estimated 480,000 cows, pigs and sheep have already been slaughtered across the UK, and a further 250,000 have been earmarked for slaughter.

AUDIO Jim Walker, President of National Farmers Union Scotland: We must take the pain now 520K/48 sec. AIFF or WAV sound CNN's Diana Muriel: Vaccination a delay tactic 630K/58 sec. AIFF or WAV sound UK Prime Minister Tony Blair tells CNN: "Britain is open for business" 470K/43 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     ALSO Blair on the foot-and-mouth crisis

On Wednesday the European Union gave Britain permission to vaccinate 180,000 dairy cattle in areas particularly effected by the disease.

Farmers' leaders have been reluctant to resort to vaccination, however, because it would mean Britain losing its "foot-and-mouth free" status

"If we go down this road we have to take the farmers with us," a Blair aide told AP. "We have to win them over and we have to have their confidence that this is the right thing to do."

One of the three newly-infected farms in the Netherlands, at Kootwijkerbroek, was some distance from the other nine cases -- indicating the disease was no longer confined to a single tight cluster.

"We are very worried about the Kootwijkerbroek case because we haven't been able to trace the cause," said Dutch Agriculture Ministry spokesman Gabor Oolthuis.

The Dutch Government has acted swiftly to contain the disease. It has been granted permission by the European Union veterinary committee to vaccinate its cloven-hoofed livestock in an emergency measure to help create a firewall against the disease.

It has nonetheless come in for criticism from Dutch farmers, who have accused ministers of not keeping pace with the disease.

"Almost every day another village is infected," said Dirk Duijzer, director general of the main farmers' organisation. "Almost every day the minister says he still has it under control.

"I suppose that's right but meanwhile foot-and-mouth continues to spread."

Ireland has reported two additional suspected cases of the disease, one of them a distance from the only existing outbreak so far.

One of the two suspect cases is on a farm within the 10 kilometre (seven mile) exclusion zone surrounding the republic's only confirmed case in County Louth, on the north eastern border.

The other is in the south east of the country in County Wexford.

Samples from sheep at an abattoir and meat-processing plant were flown to Britain for testing after some animals displayed the symptoms.

The suspect sheep have been slaughtered and the test results are expected on Friday.

Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh said that if the Wexford results were positive it would mean a geographical spread of the disease that would be "absolutely devastating."

Meanwhile, the EU has protested against a unilateral ban by Russia on a wide variety of food imports as an "excessive and disproportionate" response to the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Europe.

'Excessive'

Russia banned imports of animals, meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fish and their products and animal feed from the EU, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states on the Baltic.

Measures are being taken in the Netherlands to attempt to control the spread of the disease

"In view of the strong measures taken by the European Union to curb the spread of the disease, the decision by the Russian authorities appears excessive and disproportionate," said a statement issued by the delegation of the European Commission in Russia.

The UK government, fearing the impact of the outbreak on the tourism industry, has launched an offensive to persuade tourists to continue visiting the country.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told CNN International television: "If you look at some of the pictures that have been on the television you see some of the burning animals and so forth you might think that the whole countryside is like this.

"Less than one percent of the livestock of the country has been affected. It's very much located in particular areas where the main problems are.

"And we're slaughtering it out, because that is the best way to do it in order to preserve our export status, and our foot and mouth-disease-free status for the future as a country.

"There's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't come, if you're an American tourist come and visit the UK and visit as you always have, and you'll find the things that you want to do are still there for you to do."

Blair acknowledged the impact of the crisis on the farming and tourism industries.

The UK government has called in the army to co-ordinate the cull and disposal of tens of thousands of animals.

Blair is under increasing pressure to re-think the date of a forthcoming general election, widely believed to be planned for May 3.

Opposition Conservative leader William Hague said on Thursday: "I wouldn't have an election at this point to date. That would be putting party before country."

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Foot-and-Mouth disease
Dutch Ministry of Agriculture
UK Ministry of Agriculture
European Union
Irish Government

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