MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK: Foot-and-mouth restrictions eased

FAM transport restrictions were eased

Farmers are able to begin moving calving cows again after the Government's foot-and-mouth transport restrictions were eased.

Following talks with industry leaders, Defra's chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds agreed to relax further the movement bans imposed nationally following the Surrey outbreak a fortnight ago. A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "Debby Reynolds has issued a new movement licence to help resolve animal welfare issues that have arisen in the dairy sector during the current foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. "The new licence will allow bovines around the time of calving, and their calves, to be moved up to 50km under strict conditions of biosecurity, following a veterinary assessment of their welfare and freedom from foot and mouth disease." Moving cows will be permitted only if there have been no movements on to a given site of suspect animals for 20 days beforehand. The new movement licence will apply throughout England but not in the protection and surveillance zones in Surrey, Defra said. Two weeks ago Defra announced the first outbreak of the disease in a herd of cattle kept by farmer Roger Pride in fields at Normandy, near Guildford. A neighbouring herd owned by John Gunner tested positive days later. Both herds were slaughtered, together with the precautionary cull of animals kept nearby by John Emerson. Samples from Mr Emerson's animals later tested negative for the disease. Leading microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said on Sunday that the foot-and-mouth outbreak could effectively be over by this weekend if no new cases emerged