What is foot-and-mouth disease?

Farms are isolated to stop the disease spreading

Foot-and-mouth disease is endemic in many parts of the world, but it was thought to have been virtually eradicated in Europe following a campaign of vaccination and slaughter.

Vets believe the best way of stopping its spread is to incinerate the carcasses of infected animals and isolate affected farms.

But the highly-infectious viral disease can even be transmitted through dust particles in the air and can prove fatal in pigs, cattle sheep and goats.

Infected animals' hooves and mouths become blistered causing lameness, increased salivation and loss of appetite. They rapidly lose weight and produce less milk.

Major epidemic

The last major epidemic in Britain was in 1967 and ended in the slaughter of 442,000 animals after more than 2,364 outbreaks were detected.

It cost the country an estimated £150m in slaughter costs and lost sales in 1967 and 1968.

A total of £27m was paid out to farmers in compensation.

Farms had to be scrubbed with disinfectant twice a day and animals were not allowed on to the land for at least six months after the slaughter.

The worst outbreaks were in Wales, Cheshire, Shropshire.

Human symptoms

One human was diagnosed as having caught the disease and one child was suspected of having it.

Symptoms in humans include a rash - but are not believed to have long-term health implications.

The most recent outbreak in Britain was in 1981 on the Isle of Wight - 200 cattle and 369 pigs were destroyed.

In the EU, the most recent outbreak was in Greece last year.