MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Second UK FAM outbreak in a week triggers controversy

Farmers said the latest outbreak was “much worse” than last month

A second outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been confirmed in Britain at a Stroude Farm, Egham, near the scene of the previous outbreak discovered on Wednesday in Surrey.

The "precautionary" cull of animals at Stroude Farm which were tested proved positive. Initial tests say the strain detected on Wednesday was the same as that found during the outbreak in August. UK's Chief Veterinary Debby Reynolds confirmed that foot-and-mouth had been present at the farm, taking the total number of farms where the disease has been found in 2007 to four. Dr Reynolds said she was glad that all the animals on the farm had been culled before the test results were announced. Stroude farm is about 10 miles from the Pirbright research complex, blamed as the source for the foot-and-mouth outbreaks at two farms last month. Environment department sources say a total of 940 cattle and pigs have been culled so far in the latest outbreak. The two farming businesses affected, Stroude Farm and Hardwick Court Farm where the first case was identified on Wednesday, are spread over eight areas including Ripley, Shepperton, Staines and Thorpe. A 3 kilometers protection zone has been set up around the farming land, with a 10 kilometers surveillance zone encircling it. Restrictions on all cattle movements have been re-imposed in Britain. Scientists investigating the disease are working on the possibility it was carried by soil or through the air, and was not a water-borne transmission. Farmers said the latest outbreak was "much worse" than last month's, because it had come at a time when livestock farmers needed to move their animals, and send them to market. National Farmers' Union president Peter Kendall said the restrictions would have "enormous economic consequences" for the already struggling livestock industry. "For all the poor farmers, particularly all the livestock ones, it's a complete nightmare to have another outbreak, and everything brought to a grinding halt, particularly at a time when all the autumn sheep sales are coming up. It is a real blow for people." The disease was confirmed in Egham only a week after the previous restrictions on cattle movements were lifted. The UK government is also facing criticism that it was too quick to declare Britain foot-and-mouth free last week. The European Commission has banned all live animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth from being exported from Britain. Northern Ireland is exempt from the ban, and can export freely