Foot-and-mouth fears spread

These sheep in France will all be killed as a precaution

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Fears that the foot-and-mouth crisis has spread across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland have led to sheep being slaughtered and a farm being sealed off.

The move comes as eight more cases of the highly-contagious livestock disease were confirmed in Britain, raising the total to 26.

In Germany, preliminary tests on five sheep, which were found to have foot-and-mouth antibodies in their blood, proved negative for the virus itself.

AUDIO James McInnes, Chairman of the Devon National Farmers Union: Farmers fear the spread of the disease 0.34 MB/31 sec. AIFF or WAV sound A deepening financial crisis 0.37 MB/34 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Correspondent Peter Humi reports: French government announces compensation plan 537 K/49 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

Foot-and-mouth disease affects animals with cloven hooves, like cows, sheep and pigs, but is harmless to humans. It is easily spread and can travel miles by air or on clothing or vehicle tyres.

Britain's armed forces are on standby to help stem the widening outbreak in the UK. The four new cases involve two farms in Wales, one in Hereford and one in Lancashire.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday: "We are prepared to take whatever measures are available to us to ensure we put every possible limitation on the spread of the disease."

The country's Chief Veterinary Officer, Jim Scudamore, told a briefing at the UK Ministry of Agriculture: "There will be others coming in as we get results. The situation is changing very rapidly."

He said the total number of animals which have either been slaughtered or are due to be culled is now believed to be 11,000. The animals involved include 1,000 cattle, 8,500 sheep and 1,500 pigs.

A total of 102 UK farms are now under restrictions, although 50 are believed to be clear of the disease.

The outbreak is affecting day-to-day life. Horse racing is banned in Britain for a week and a rugby international, due to take place in Wales this weekend, has been postponed for fear that fans travelling from Ireland could carry the virus back to what was thought to have been an unaffected area.

Brid Rodgers, Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister, said on Wednesday that sheep found on the farm in South Armagh were recently imported from Carlisle, in north west England.

"Our investigations now suggest that some of the sheep involved were sourced in Carlisle at the same time as known infected animals," Rodgers said in a statement.

"We have placed the holding under restriction and established an eight kilometre surveillance zone around it.

"Our vets are on the farm at present and as a precaution, are slaughtering stock on the farm."

Governments around Europe are taking action to try to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Animals imported from Britain are being slaughtered in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Belgium and Poland have also announced measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Thousands of animals have been slaughtered in the UK

The European Union has extended until March 9 a ban on the export from Britain of live animals.

France is slaughtering 20,000 sheep imported from Britain since the start of February.

French Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany said its cull was being taken "because of the increase in the number of farms where foot-and-mouth disease has been detected in Britain, and because of the presence in France of sheep from one of those farms."

He told France Inter radio: "Ten thousand of the sheep have already been slaughtered and their carcasses will now been destroyed, while the other 10,000 which are still alive will be slaughtered and destroyed."

In Germany and the Netherlands, authorities have already killed more than 3,500 cows, sheep and pigs imported from Britain.

But Germany's Consumer and Farm Minister Renate Kuenast said preliminary tests on sheep in North Rhine-Westphalia, which had come into contact with infected animals, showed they did not have foot-and-mouth disease.

"The suspect cases are in the process of being proved negative," she told reporters at an event of her Greens party in the south German town of Biberach, adding that results of a third and probably conclusive probe were imminent.

Belgium has banned the transport of all sheep and goats within the country at least until March 19, reflecting the four-week incubation period for foot-and-mouth.

Poland has announced a ban on all imports of livestock from across the European Union and other European countries to protect it from the disease.

No cases have yet been confirmed across the English Channel.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Europe vets to extend UK meat ban
February 26, 2001
EU urges traces to beat foot-and-mouth
February 26, 2001
New UK foot-and-mouth case
February 25, 2001
Massive foot-and-mouth cull begins
February 24, 2001
Outbreak sparks UK meat shortage fears
February 24, 2001
UK animal virus ban to last weeks
February 22, 2001
BSE: Moves to repel European disease
January 29, 2001

European Union
The European Commission
UK Ministry of Agriculture
UK Government
National Farmers' Union
French Government

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