Foot & mouth update

Another suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease has been found in cattle in Surrey. The herd was within the 3km surveillance zone around the farm where the first outbreak was confirmed last Friday. Formal confirmation is expected on Tuesday, but the affected herd will be culled as a precaution.

The economic impact is already beginning to bite in Scotland, where meat producers are clamouring for a relaxation in the export ban which came into force. Methinks it's better to wait for the incubation period of the disease to elapse (7 days) before the government commits itself to that. Scotland is indeed 450 miles from the current outbreak, but you can't dice with foot and mouth. Failure to act promptly exacerbated the situation in 2001 and led to the catastrophic outcomes that many people in the UK remember only too vividly.

A report was discussed today, which describes part of the laboratory, which has allegedly released the virus into the wild. It is referred to as shockingly shabby for a world-class standard research establishment. And it is also being said that the virus was released in the wake of a flooding episode. Sounds like they need to review their operating procedures as a matter of extreme urgency.