Defra confirms seventh foot and mouth case
Tuesday, 25 Sep 2007 09:45
The reports will assess whether bluetongue and foot and mouth disease are spreading
The government has confirmed a seventh positive test for foot and mouth disease within existing protection zones in Surrey.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said cattle at the farm would be culled and restrictions on the movement of livestock within the area would remain in place.
However, cattle movements in other parts of England, which Defra has designated as low-risk, can begin under certain conditions.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Farming Today, chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds said: "The low-risk area for foot and mouth disease includes Scotland, Wales, and a substantial part of England and in those areas farm to farm movements can take place under strict controls.
"There is foot and mouth disease risk area which surrounds the Surrey protection zone and there is no change there and no animals can now leave that zone," she added.
Dr Reynolds also spoke about measures being taken to tackle bluetongue disease after a second cow was slaughtered yesterday for testing positive for the disease.
"We have to integrate everything we do between foot and mouth disease and bluetongue; in addition we have identified a part of England which is a bluetongue temporary area whilst we work to resolve the situation with bluetongue.
"They can move farm to farm in there but they can't move out of the bluetongue temporary area," she explained.
The chief animal welfare officer added that the bluetongue temporary zone spanned Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire.
"The integration of our disease control measures, looking at what can possibly be done to head off animal welfare problems and a very high level of awareness of the economic problems for all concerned is absolutely part of our strategy," she concluded.
She added that a cull of cattle within the bluetongue zone was not being considered at the moment due to "welfare reasons".
"The approach that we want to take is to move things forward in the way that I have set out and quite clearly the animal welfare problems need to be dealt with by all concerned.
"At this stage it is not our intention to move forward with a cull for welfare reasons," Dr Reynolds concluded.