Farmers face new disease

Controls have been introduced on the movement of animals

February 21, 2001

The government says it's putting in place emergency measures following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

It is imposing a temporary ban on the export of all livestock products until the source of the outbreak can be identified.

The agriculture minister Lady Hayman has told the House of Lords that controls on the movements of animals in Essex are needed.

The Ministry of Agriculture has also confirmed its investigating a possible case of the virus at a farm near Stroud in Gloucestershire.

Vigilance

Lady Hayman urged vigilance amongst farmers everywhere and said investigation was under way into the strain of the disease and the source of infection.

"As those who remember (the last outbreak in) 1967 will know, a widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease can be extremely serious for the whole of the farming community," she warned.

So what could this Foot and Mouth outbreak do to the already beleaguered Meat and Livestock industry?

The Agriculture Minister Nick Brown told PM the ban was a precautionary measure, and farmers would be paid the full market rate for every infected animal that had to be destoyed.