Foot-and-mouth suspected in Germany

Brigadier Alex Birtwistle inspects a map showing infected sites around Cumbria, in northern England

DUSSELDORF, Germany -- Officials are investigating a suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany.

About 100 pigs have been destroyed on a farm in North Rhine-Westphalia -- near the border with the Netherlands -- after symptoms of the animal virus were discovered.

The results of preliminary tests are expected on Wednesday.

This is the third suspected case of the highly contagious disease in Germany. About 6,000 sheep imported from Britain were slaughtered earlier on two farms.

Both those suspected cases turned out to be false alarms. Germany has so far avoided the livestock disease, which has affected its neighbours France and the Netherlands, as well as the Republic of Ireland and, far more seriously, Britain.

In the UK, opposition leader William Hague called on Tuesday for the army to be given full control of the battle to stamp out foot-and-mouth as the number of confirmed cases neared 1,000.

Meanwhile, European Union veterinary experts were meeting to agree a policy on vaccinating animals to try to prevent the spread of the disease.

Foot-and-mouth affects cattle, sheep, pigs and goats but there are no implications for the human food chain with only one recorded case of a human developing foot-and-mouth disease in Britain -- in 1966.

The EU decision could have an important effect on meat export markets, which are already suffering.

Sources within the U.S. Department of Agriculture say preparations are being made to tighten standards on imports of dairy products as an extra precaution against foot-and-mouth.

The UK Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday morning that 951 sites across the country were now known to have been infected.

The scale of the crisis has forced Prime Minister Tony Blair to postpone local elections by more than a month to June 7. A general election is widely expected to be held on the same day.

The army is already helping with the logistics of disposing of hundreds of thousands of animals slaughtered because of the disease.

But there is a backlog of livestock waiting to be killed and Hague, the leader of the Conservative Party, says that risks worsening the outbreak, which has already cost millions in lost exports and tourism.

A worker patrols the perimeter of a pyre

"Infected animals are breathing the disease into the air, contaminating more and more farms," he said in a speech.

Hague argues that the Ministry of Agriculture is "hopelessly overstretched" and that the army should be handed full control.

Blair insists the government is getting to grips with the outbreak and has delayed a decision on whether to switch from mass slaughter to a policy of vaccination.

Many farmers are worried because inoculating animals would end Britain's status as an area free of foot-and-mouth and would cost lucrative meat exports.

The EU has previously ruled out a mass vaccination programme on economic grounds but has authorised the inoculation of animals in certain countries, such as Britain and the Netherlands, pending slaughter.

Dutch and German officials want the EU to allow member countries to vaccinate zoo animals against foot-and-mouth disease without threatening their exporting status.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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UK's Blair on foot-and-mouth crisis
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Dutch prepare for mass slaughter
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Europe turning to virus vaccine
March 28, 2001
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March 13, 2001

Foot-and-mouth disease
UK Ministry of Agriculture
European Union agriculture policies

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