Army fights foot-and-mouth again

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Soldiers have been drafted in to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease after three new cases were confirmed in northeast England.

Britain's Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed outbreaks in three areas around Hexham, Northumberland.

The total number of cases confirmed in the county since last Thursday now stands at 16.

Farmers had thought the disease was under control in the county and were looking forward to livestock movement restrictions being lifted within two weeks.

The government said on Friday it has asked for as many as 30 soldiers to help dispose of slaughtered animals in infected areas.

Soldiers from the 101st Royal Artillery Regiment in Newcastle will help with logistics and the removal of animal carcasses.

They will not take part in the slaughter of livestock -- a job to be left to civilian marksmen, the Ministry of Defence said.

"This is extremely disappointing news which will mean a considerable extension of the infected area and ... related restrictions," government veterinary manager Arthur Griffiths told The Associated Press.

The opposition Conservative party said the decision to bring in the army suggested the outbreak was "more serious than the government would admit."

"We welcome this action but hope it will be just part of a more effective strategy to halt the further spread of the disease," party agriculture spokesman Tim Yeo told AP.

The UK's National Farmers Union welcomed the army's involvement but said at least two of the new cases were outside the "blue box" restricted areas currently in place in Northumberland.

A spokesman told the Press Association: "This is obviously of massive concern because the disease seems to have breached the boundaries set by the Government and this is the worst possible news for Northumberland farmers."

Farmers and politicians in Scotland have watched the Northumberland outbreak with mounting anxiety fearing the disease could spread north across the border.

Thursday was the 90th day since the last outbreak of the disease in Scotland. Under EU rules, an area is granted disease-free status if it has been clear of the virus for three months.

Scottish political leaders had been pressing for the country to be allowed to resume meat exports. Continuing disease-free status is a requirement of the current export ban being lifted.

Meanwhile in England and Wales, although the number of new cases has generally dropped to a trickle from its peak of about 40 a day, it is proving increasingly difficult to completely stamp out the disease.

Almost 3.8 million sheep, cows and pigs have been slaughtered to try to contain the disease, harmless to humans but which diminishes animals' productivity and ruins export markets.

A report on the epidemic from the government's Countryside Agency, published on Wednesday, estimated foot-and-mouth would cost the British economy between $3.5 billion and $5.9 billion, not as much as had been forecast early in the epidemic.