'No foot and mouth' farmer says
Friday, 10 Aug 2007 08:32
The cattle at the affected farm have been culled
The farmer immersed in the latest foot and mouth scare has said he is confident his cattle do not have the disease.
A new 3km temporary control zone has been set up around the farm as officials expressed fears the cattle may have foot and mouth disease.
The new site is outside the existing 10km surveillance zone, which surrounds two farms in Guildford, Surrey, that were set up after news of the outbreak first emerged.
A Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said the move was a "precautionary measure" that followed an "inconclusive assessment of clinical symptoms" by Animal Health veterinary staff.
Laboratory tests determining whether an outbreak of the disease at the new site has occurred will be conducted shortly.
Chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds said: "This is a developing disease situation. The containment and eradication of foot and mouth disease remains our priority. This is why we have moved swiftly to put in place a temporary control zone while we investigate this development. At this stage disease has not been confirmed, laboratory results will follow.
"In the meantime, as I have done from the start of this outbreak, I reiterate my message to animal keepers to practice the highest standards of biosecurity, remain vigilant for disease and report any suspicions quickly."
The owner of the farm, Laurence Matthews, said that although he called the vets in to do the tests he was confident that they do not have foot and mouth.
"The vet was absolutely sure that this was not foot and mouth - can I make that clear - this was not foot-and-mouth," he said.
"We had a discussion about it and we again decided that this was not foot and mouth."
A spokesperson for the Surrey branch of the National Farmers Union told the BBC that farmers were worried by news of the latest suspected case of the disease.
"It will be worrying for our members here and for farmers elsewhere in the country," the representative said.
"But, thankfully at the moment, we're not talking about an outbreak outside Surrey."
Hundreds of cattle at three farms in the first surveillance area were culled after an outbreak of the disease was confirmed. The disease was suspected to have originated from two research facilities near the farms.
A report from the Health and Safety Executive said there was a "strong probability" the outbreak had originated from the facilities at Pirbright, where both the IAH and vaccine manufacturer Merial are based.
Both have insisted they have maintained the highest possible standards and denied responsibility for any biosecurity breach.
BBC's Newsnight programme yesterday revealed that the sites being investigated had been built in areas at risk of flooding in contravention of Defra guidelines.
The recent floods in June and July were being looked into as possible causes for the spread of the disease.
Speaking on the programme, Liberal Democrats MP Dr Evan Harris said: "Given that Defra's own guidance for agreeing containment procedures for pathogens like this is very clear that the land should not be at risk of flooding and that this land does appears to be at risk of flooding, I think Defra have to answer much more clearly than they have so far."
Yesterday, a probe into a possible case of Legionnaires' disease at the IAH laboratory in Surrey uncovered "insignificant levels" of the disease, according to the government agency based at the site.
The European Commission's ban on British exports of meat, milk products and live animals remains in place, although Northern Ireland continues its export business as it is not on the mainland.
Meanwhile the Health and Safety Executive continues to investigate the cause of the recent outbreak.