MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK FAM outbreak confirmed in area next to August focus

Area where FAM was detected

The United Kingdom farming industry has been plunged back into crisis with the confirmation of another outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle in Surrey. Last week Environment Secretary Hilary Benn had declared the UK free of FAM following an initial outbreak in August.

A nationwide movement ban on cattle, sheep, pigs and other susceptible animals was imposed after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced initial tests on animals on farmland near Egham showed they had the virus. Protection and surveillance zones were set up around the outbreak and cattle were culled as a precaution after displaying symptoms of the highly infectious disease. But there was confusion in the area around the affected farm, with local farmers angry they had not been informed by Defra about the outbreak. Farming leaders described the latest case of foot and mouth as a "hammer-blow" to the industry. The latest incidence of the disease is around 10 miles from the two previous cases near Pirbright, which are thought to have been caused by a leak from laboratories there. The area at the centre of the outbreak is grazing land attached to Milton Park farm, Surrey Council confirmed. The animals on the land were owned by another farm, Hardwick Park farm, head of trading standards Peter Denard said. UK Chief vet Debby Reynolds said the strain of the virus and its origin had not yet been identified. But National Farmers' Union president Peter Kendall said the chances it was from a different source or a different strain to the previous outbreak was "incredibly small". Mr Kendall said the latest case would have "enormous" ramifications for the whole of the farming community. "At the weekend the whole industry breathed a collective sigh of relief that we had moved on. This has set us right back," he said. Meantime Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged that the authorities would do "everything in our power" both to eradicate FAM and to track down the source of the latest outbreak. Speaking at 10 Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency contingencies committee, also attended by chief vet Debby Reynolds, Mr Brown said that action was taken immediately foot-and-mouth was confirmed. "I can say that we will do everything in our power to get to the root cause. We are investigating a number of possible explanations. I don't think it is possible to say at this stage what was the cause of this particular outbreak, but I do say that, at all times, we will be absolutely vigilant", said Brown. In Brussels the EU halted plans to reopen Britain's meat export markets to the rest of Europe. The decision to reopen the UK's meat export markets to the rest of Europe was taken by EU veterinary experts on Tuesday. This Wednesday, however, the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, currently in session in Brussels, instantly reversed Tuesday's decision. A Commission statement said: "The UK authorities have informed the Commission of a suspected outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease close to the previous outbreaks" adding that precautionary measures are already in place imposed by the UK authorities. "In the meantime, the Commission has stopped the procedure for adopting yesterday's decision to resume trade to and from the UK".