Kent farm in new foot-and-mouth scare
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Tuesday, 14, Aug 2007 12:12
A temporary control zone has been put in place at a farm in Kent by animal health officers investigating the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that it had taken the action as a "precautionary measure".
A Defra spokeswoman would not confirm where the farm in question was in Kent but said putting such controls in place was "not unusual".
"We are being ultra-cautious in our response to the disease and this new temporary control zone demonstrates the need for relentless vigilance," she said.
The latest incident follows a similar precaution at a farm in Dorking after two confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease in Surrey
A 3km temporary control zone was set up around the farm at the end of last week as officials expressed fears the cattle may have foot and mouth disease. The farm was later given the all-clear.
The Dorking site was outside the existing 10km surveillance zone, which surrounds two farms in Guildford, Surrey, that were set up after news of the outbreak first emerged.
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 Institute for Animal Health (IAH) and vaccine manufacturer Merial are based.
Both have insisted they have maintained the highest possible standards and denied responsibility for any biosecurity breach.