UK - Foot & Mouth found on 2nd farm

Pirbright Laboratories from where the disease may have leaked

A second farm in Surrey has been identified as having contracted foot and mouth disease. The farm is within the protection zone already in place. Over the weekend a possible source of the foot & mouth outbreak was identified as being a laboratory less than 5 km from Wolford Farm, site of the first outbreak. The strain found in the infected cattle was found to be identical to that used for vaccines at an animal disease research site at Pirbright. Defra could not say the laboratory complex was the source but has increased the size of the protection and surveillance zones in the area. In a statement, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "The present indications are that this strain is a 01 BFS67-like virus, isolated in the 1967 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Great Britain." The strain was used in a vaccine batch manufactured on 16 July by a private pharmaceutical company Merial Animal Health [BBC / Sky News]. The outbreak has resulted in many countries restricting imports of meat from the UK. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland both closed their ports to livestock, fresh meat and non-pasteurised milk imports within hours of the first outbreak having been identified. They also ordered for disinfectant measures to be put in place at ports and airports all over the island. Canada also blocked the entry of any livestock from the United Kingdom into the country, and Japan and the United States blocked the entry of pigs and pig products. British beef was already banned in both of these respective countries as a result of BSE being identified in cattle several years ago.