Foot and Mouth Disease



Sixth new case of foot and mouth in England

September, 25, 2007

More worries for British farmers with the confirmation of a sixth case of foot and mouth disease in southern England. The farm concerned is within a case is within a three-km protection zone set up to contain the disease after the first outbreak. It came to light just as the EU was about to declare Britain free of the disease and lift an export ban imposed after an outbreak in August

Authorities are hoping that the restrictions imposed around the Egham area where the affected farms are located will stop the disease from spreading. But the EU decision to maintain the export ban is having an impact on farming and that has revived memories of a devastating epidemic in 2001.

******* Britain Confirms More Foot and Mouth Disease

September, 24, 2007

British officials have confirmed a new case of foot and mouth disease in a herd of cattle in Surrey. Authorities ordered the animals killed Monday as a precaution after some of the cattle showed signs of the illness.

This is the seventh confirmed case of foot and mouth disease in the county of Surrey, southeast of London, since August 3.

Authorities Saturday announced they discovered Britain's first case of bluetounge - another dangerous animal disease - in a cow from a petting zoo in eastern England. Bluetonuge is a virus spread by tiny insects, affecting such animals as cows, deer, and sheep.

LIke the foot and mouth virus, bluetongue does not affect humans but can deadly to animals.

A foot and mouth outbreak in Britain in 2001 led to the deaths of six million animals and cost farmers more than $17 billion.

******* Foot and mouth returns to haunt Britain

EU nations reimposed a ban on meat and livestock from Britain after confirmation of a
fresh outbreak of foot and mouth disease in south-east England, a European Commission spokesman said.

September, 13, 2007

The EU decision came just a day after it had decided to lift the last remnants of the previous ban, deeming the outbreak over.

The decision to introduce a fresh export ban was taken after Britain's chief veterinarian confirmed a new case of foot and mouth disease near London, close to the site of last month's outbreak.

"The commission has been informed by the UK authorities today of a new outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Surrey, approximately 50 kilometres north of the outbreaks which occurred in August," the EU's executive arm said in a statement.

"This means that live animals susceptible to foot and mouth disease cannot be dispatched from Great Britain, nor can their products."

That lists includes all ruminants and pigs.

The commission said Britain was complying with all relevant EU directives, culling all animals in the infected holding and establishing a three kilometre protection zone and 10 kilometre surveillance zone around the premises.

The decision to consider Britain a "high-risk zone" was imposed until October 15, subject to review.

Likewise no live animals can be sent to Britain from other EU nations.

Northern Ireland remains an exception and no ban was imposed on its livestock and meat exports.

Carmen Suarez, chief economist for Britain's National Farmers' Union, said the ban could cost all affected sectors two million pounds ($4.8 million) per day, with the EU making up 90 per cent of Britain's beef exports.

She said that the fresh outbreak and EU action would also affect third countries with the United States, for example, likely to renew its own three-month ban.

The decision to reimpose the ban was an emergency decision taken by the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, which brings together veterinary experts from throughout the 27 nation bloc.

It was the same group which on Tuesday decided to lift the final restrictions on British meat and livestock exports, after deciding that "the outbreak has been successfully dealt with".

British farmers had breathed a sigh of relief before today's bad news.

A 2001 foot and mouth outbreak, which also evoked an EU export ban, cost the national economy about eight billion pounds ($19 billion), led to the culling of some 10 million animals and devastated the agriculture sector.

Now the earliest date that Britain can regain full disease free status, under World Organisation for Animal Health rules, is three months after the last foot and mouth case is diagnosed.