Second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in Britain
Pastor Dale Morgan
Second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in Britain*
* Story Highlights
* NEW: Farmers union not sure U.K. "can nip this outbreak in the bud"
* NEW: Farmer fears for his reputation as a producer
* Second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in the U.K.
* European Union imposes bans on U.K. farming products
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Tests have confirmed a second foot-and-mouth
outbreak in southern England, the government announced, raising fears
that the highly contagious animal virus is spreading.
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The European Union has restricted all live animals, fresh meat and milk
products from mainland Great Britain.
Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said Tuesday that tests showed a
herd of cattle had been infected.
The animals were culled Monday evening after showing signs of the disease.
Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said Monday
a herd of more than 50 cattle on a second farm within the two-mile
(three-kilometer) protection zone in Surrey County, England, had shown
signs of the highly contagious disease.
Confirmation of the second case comes a day after the European Union
said it would restrict all live animals, fresh meat and milk products
from mainland Great Britain.
Roger Pride, who owns the farm where foot-and-mouth was first
discovered, said the financial hardship of losing his cattle was not as
devastating as the impact on his reputation. Video Watch the farmer's
reaction »
"It has taken 20 years to build the shop up, and we've got a good
reputation and that's the thing that's hard to get back again," Pride
said at a news conference Tuesday.
Speaking at the same news conference, National Farmers' Union spokesman
Anthony Gibson said while lessons have been learned about the 2001
outbreak, "we can't be confident at this stage that we can nip this
outbreak in the bud."
"But if we can't, it won't be due to lack of effort or shortcomings by
any of the farmers or officials who have been involved in dealing with
the outbreak so far," Gibson added.
Laboratory results Friday confirmed the first outbreak of the disease
was found in cattle at a farm in Surrey County.
Culling of the 38 infected cattle in Surrey was completed Saturday, the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a posting on
its Web site. Cattle on two additional sites that together make up the
enterprise and animals on an adjacent farm also were culled.
One of the additional cattle tested positive for the illness, the
department said.
Announcing its ban, EU Commission spokesman Philip Tod declared all of
Britain except Northern Ireland as a "high-risk area" but also praised
the country's government for taking swift action.
"We welcome the speed with which the British authorities have confirmed
the strain of the virus which is being dealt with and will await the
results of their investigation into the possible origins of the
outbreak," Tod said.
Health and safety experts are expected to reveal Tuesday their initial
findings of an investigation into the source of the disease.
The inquiry has focused so far on a research facility in Pirbright, a
few miles from the infected farms.
The laboratories, which store foot-and-mouth disease for use in
vaccines, are shared between the Institute for Animal Health, a
diagnostic and research center, and pharmaceutical company Merial Animal
Health, whose work includes manufacturing vaccines.
Both organizations use the strain of the virus detected in slaughtered
cattle at the first farm, but both have insisted there was no evidence
of breaches in biosecurity at their labs.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has vowed that the government will
do everything in its power to halt the outbreak.
Britain's farming industry is still suffering from a 2001 outbreak of
the virus that led to the culling of millions of animals, many in giant
pyres.
The 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak -- blamed for nearly 2,000 cases of the
disease -- led to the slaughter of more than 3.5 million sheep, cows and
pigs in a bid to contain the disease. The government was accused of
reacting too slowly, allowing the disease to spread.
Foot-and-mouth disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats, deer and
other animals, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.