Massive foot-and-mouth cull begins

Authorities will look to burn all the carcasses

LONDON, England -- A mass nationwide cull of livestock is being carried out in an effort to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

The government's chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore said pigs would be slaughtered at six confirmed "outbreak sites" as well as two farms bordering one of the sites.

Strict measures have been adopted amid fears that the outbreak, likely to affect thousands of pigs and cattle, could cripple the UK farming industry, just recovering from the long-running battle against mad cow disease.

ALSO Crisis strikes European chord What is foot-and-mouth disease?

A seven-day ban on moving cattle, pigs, sheep and goats came into force on Friday as the government tries to halt the spread of the highly-infectious virus.

Britain voluntarily suspended exports of live animals, meat and dairy products on Wednesday, and the United States, Russia and the European Union have also imposed import restrictions.

Hungary and Romania announced a similar ban on Friday.

Government urges vigilance

Abattoirs have adopted strict measures to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease

Suggestions of mass culling over wider areas were rejected by the government with agriculture minister Nick Brown saying the outbreak now appeared to be contained.

"We would expect to be receiving further reports from farmers now if it had spread."

But he warned that farmers and veterinary inspectors would have to stay vigilant.

Brown is to brief EU farm ministers on the measures that have been taken to stamp out the disease in Brussels on Monday.

The government has said the first pigs to be infected may have been suffering from foot-and-mouth for more than two weeks and questions are being asked as to why it had taken so long to detect.

But one of the two brothers who farm the Northumberland site suspected by the government of being the source of the outbreak, said they had been given a clean bill of health a month ago and had kept a careful eye on their animals.

In a statement released through the National Farmers Union, Bobby Waugh said: "I always keep a careful eye on all my pigs because, naturally, I want healthy pigs. It is not in my interest to have unhealthy pigs."

Ben Gill, President of the National Farmers' Union, said the industry had no choice now but to "batten down the hatches."

Thousands of pigs face slaughter

He added: "This will be hard but not as hard as if foot-and-mouth spreads throughout the entire British livestock population."

Livestock traders also said they supported the ban on animal transportation although it would cause "significant difficulties" to their $36 million-a-week (£25 million) market.

Industry body the Meat and Livestock Commission said a week-long ban would not result in meat shortages, although it could not guarantee that any extension would not cause problems.

The government has urged shoppers not to panic buy.

The British countryside has become a virtual no-go area in the battle to contain the virus which can be carried by the wind, on the soles of shoes or on the wheels of cars.

Livestock fairs and markets have been closed, hunting of deer, foxes and hares banned, postal workers ordered to leave mail at farm gates and ramblers warned to stay off fields.

Monday's horseracing meeting at Newcastle is among a host of events to be abandoned as the racecourse falls inside the 16 km (10-mile) exclusion zone placed around an affected farm at Ponteland.

Foot-and-mouth disease causes blisters on the mouth and feet, fever and loss of appetite. It is not usually fatal in itself, but animals are slaughtered to stop it spreading.

Transmission to humans is extremely rare, but possible if a person is in close contact with an infected animal, the Food Standards Agency said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
EU Commission for Foot-and-Mouth disease control
National Farmers' Union
Food Standards Agency

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