Britain struck by new foot-and-mouth case
A new case of foot-and-mouth has been confirmed in the same U.K. county that experienced last month’s outbreak just days after the British government gave the area the all clear, the BBC reports.
Authorities have set up a 6.2-mile control zone centered on the affected Milton Park Farm near Egham, Surrey, and a pre-emptive slaughter has been ordered. A national livestock movement ban has been ordered to prevent the disease spreading, while the European Union has halted plans to lift the export ban on animal products from the area.
A Health and Safety report said the previous outbreak in August was probably caused by leaking drains, heavy rain and building work at the nearby Pirbright animal research laboratory.
The latest case is another blow to the British farming industry, which was devastated by a previous epidemic in 2001 that saw up to 10 million animals slaughtered and a cost to the economy estimated at about '8.5 billion.
“This is an absolute disaster ' we worked so hard to stamp out the early outbreak,” said Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers’ Union.
Britain struck by new foot-and-mouth case
