PM vows to stamp out Britain's foot and mouth outbreak

LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown vowed yesterday to eradicate foot and mouth disease in Britain as an outbreak among livestock on a farm prompted fears of mass slaughter and devastation to the agricultural and tourism industries.

Countries across Europe and around the world took measures to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus as British officials worked frantically to track down the source of disease, which broke out on a farm south-west of London.

Experts were checking reports of other possible outbreaks, but all results so far have proved negative.

Sixty cattle were slaughtered on the affected farm, between the towns of Guildford and Aldershot, and the carcasses driven away for incineration.

Brown, abandoning his holiday one day in to to chair meetings in London of the government's COBRA emergency contingencies committee called in times of national crisis said the hunt for the outbreak's origin was "moving forward with speed and with great professionalism."

The prime minister said officials were working round the clock to prevent a repeat of the devastating 2001 epidemic.

"We are absolutely determined that we will move to find the source of this outbreak and we will eradicate the disease in this country," he told reporters after chairing Saturday's second COBRA meeting.

"It will be for the chief veterinary officer (Debby Reynolds) to announce the results of the investigation. She will do so only when the scientific evidence is clear."

Reynolds said experts were probing whether illegal livestock movement or non-disclosure of disease caused the outbreak, while deliberate release of the disease was also being considered.

She told a London news conference that potential further outbreaks were being investigated.

Farmers fear the disease, which normally takes three to six days to manifest itself, could already be widespread.

Foot and mouth can cause longterm weight-loss in animals, reduced milk production in cows, blisters that lead to lameness, and in some cases death.

"We've had a small number (of reports) so far," Reynolds said, without elaborating.

"Some have been reported and found to be negative. Others are still under investigation.

"It's far too early to say what the possible extent of the spread of this virus may be."

In line with European Union legislation, a national ban on moving sheep, cattle and pigs was immediately imposed in an attempt to contain the virus. It passes easily between those animals, but is rarely contracted by humans.

Bio-security measures were tightened and a three-kilometre (1.7-mile) protection zone and a 10-kilometre surveillance zone remains in place around the affected farm.

The agriculture ministry told AFP it had voluntarily suspended the export of meat products, animal carcasses and milk after the disease was confirmed late Friday. The EU said it would endorse the measures Monday.

A number of European countries announced precautionary checks on cattle, pigs and sheep as well as British livestock imports.

The United States, which still has a ban on British cattle, because of mad cow disease, and on sheep, on Saturday extended the restriction to pigs and pork products.

The emergency recalled the last foot and mouth epidemic in 2001, which cost Britain's economy an estimated eight billion pounds and dealt a hammer blow to rural communities.

Between 6.5 and 10 million animals were slaughtered and torched on huge pyres, and the tourism and farming industries were pounded.

The army was called in and a general election postponed, while the government and authorities were criticised for their slow response.

London was quick off the mark this time around, winning praise from farmers' unions and animal health specialists.

Brown who has already had to deal with attempted car bombings and severe floods since taking office on June 27 said he was keen to avoid another mass slaughter.

In a reversal of previous policy, farmers and the government said they were prepared to accept the inoculation of infected animals, as scientists worked to determine the disease's exact strain and if vaccine stocks were available.

Richard Macdonald, director general of the National Farmers Union, urged farmers to ramp up bio-security measures, saying that tough measures now could prevent disaster.

"Our priority is to limit and eradicate this disease as quickly as we can," he said.

"It has been a pretty devastating 24 hours for the livestock industry.
"We felt we were just recovering from 2001."