Foot and mouth 'may have spread in floods'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Foot and mouth 'may have spread in floods'*
By Richard Holt, Duncan Gardham and Brendan Carlin
Last Updated: 5:11pm BST 06/08/2007
Flooding is being examined as a possible cause of the foot and mouth
disease outbreak, the Government's chief veterinary office said today.
Police officers outside the Institute of Animal Health laboratory in
Pirbright
In pictures: Investigation at the lab
Inspectors fear that the infected animals may have contracted the virus
through flood water at their Surrey farm.
"The investigation on the farm is taking all factors into account
including flooding, movement, and everything that is related to events
in the lead-up period to the report of suspicion being made," Debby
Reynolds said.
"There is interest in a particular area on the farm where there was some
flood water and that is one of the features that is being examined."
The disease is thought to have spread from two bioscience laboratories
located nearby, both of which handle the same strain of the virus as
that found in the infected cattle.
The new angle to the investigation came as Gordon Brown abandoned his
family holiday in Dorset to deal with the crisis, amid rising concerns
over the financial cost to British farmers.
He cut short his break after only a few hours on Friday, and Downing
Street today said he would continue co-ordindating the Government's
foot-and-mouth response from Chequers, the Prime Ministerial retreat in
Buckinghamshire. He will be joined by his family.
Farmers are facing a bill for tens of millions of pounds as
international bans are imposed on British produce after two cows in
Surrey tested positive for foot and mouth disease.
The EU and Russia are today formally prohibiting the import of meat
products from the UK.
Last time the disease struck Britain the total bill mounted to more than
£8 billion as thousands of cattle were killed, halting sales abroad and
damaging demand at home.
It is hoped that this outbreak will not be as devastating, but "it will
certainly be in the millions already," according to Anthony Gibson, the
National Farmers' Union (NFU) director of communications.
Farmers, who stand to lose more than £10 million a week from the meat
export bans alone, may sue if a Government research laboratory turns out
to be the source of the outbreak.
Protection and surveillance zone around foot and mouth outbreak farm
Aerial map: Pirbright and Woolfords Farm
An investigation is under way into procedures at two laboratories in the
vicinity of the outbreak that handle the same strain of the virus as
that found to infect cattle. One is the Government funded Institute for
Animal Health (IAH), the other is vaccine maker Merial Animal Health.
Both deny any breach of their biosecurity protoculs.
Peter Kendall, NFU president, said after crisis talks with Gordon Brown
in Downing Street that his members were angry the outbreak may have
begun at the research laboratory.
"We want this stamped out and controlled and life getting back to
normal," Mr Kendall said.
"The most important thing at this moment is eradication and containment."
The Prime Minister, who cut short his holiday to handle the crisis, has
begun a tour of the affected areas after chairing the Government's
emergency committee meetings.
So far 120 cattle have been culled in an attempt to contain the outbreak.
David Fursdon, President of the Country Land and Business Association,
said there would be widespread anger from farmers if the source of the
outbreak turned out to be a Government research centre turned out to be
the source.
"This is the last thing on earth any livestock farmer wanted to have to
deal with at the end of a very difficult summer," he said.
"It hasn't been a good summer tourism either - particularly because of
the weather. Now just as business starts picking up, this happens.
"Some of the impact is already starting to build and when you add that
to the problems already this summer - bad weather and some bovine TB, it
hasn't come at a good time.
Tests are being carried out to determine the source of the outbreak
Video: Inquiry under way
The Pirbright research site at the centre of the current investigation
is shared by the IAH, one of the world's leading laboratories
investigating the prevention of foot and mouth, and Merial, a
pharmaceuticals company. .
The IAH said a check of records had found "limited use" of the virus in
the past four weeks, while Merial last month produced a batch of
vaccines using the strain.
Merial "operates to the very highest international standards and we have
complete confidence in the integrity of our operation here," managing
director David Biland said today.
The company suspended vaccine production following the discovery of the
outbreak but has nevertheless ordered its staff to come in to work to
assist with the inquiry.
Speculation that the mild symptoms identified in the outbreak point to a
virus used in the manufacture of vaccines is "plausible," according to
Prof Neil Ferguson, a disease expert at Imperial College London.
However, Prof Ferguson, who advised the Government on the previous foot
and mouth outbreak, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the exact
source may never be known.
Following the discovery of the outbreak on Friday, a herd of 38 cattle
at Woolfords Farm, Surry, just four miles from the Pirbright facility,
was culled.
Last night officials from the Department for the Environment Food and
Rural Affairs (Defra) slaughtered a second herd at a neighbouring farm -
which bringing the total cull so far to 120.
A new two-mile protection zone was set up around a separate part of the
farm involved in the initial outbreak, after another infected animal was
found.
There have been only two movements of animals off the affected farms in
the last month and none on to it, according to Defra.
The European Commission, which will soon formally confirm a ban on
British meat and livestock exports, said it is "very happy" with the
Government's response. It urged European countries not to take any
further unilateral action.