The crisis unfolds

Animals found with the disease are slaughtered

The impact of the foot-and-mouth disease is being felt far beyond the UK's farming industry.

Weekend walkers are being advised not to cross fields, a cross-country running event is under threat and horse-racing meetings may be cancelled.

The last major outbreak of the disease in Britain was in 1967.

The crisis, which brought the farming community to its knees, cost the country an estimated £150m in slaughter costs and lost sales and £27m was paid out to farmers.

More than 600 farms are already subject to emergency measures as the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Fisheries (Maff) desperately tries to establish the source of the outbreak.

BBC News Online looks at the wider implications:

Sunday 25 February

• Three royal parks - including the home of Princess Alexandra - are shut to stop the disease spreading to deer herds. The shutdown, from midnight, will stop public access to Richmond Park, Bushy Park and Hampton Court Home Park, all in south west London.

Saturday 24 February

• The British Horse Society advises riders to keep off all bridleways and farmland until the outbreak is over.

• The Camping and Caravanning Club cancels meets and other activities on all farm or agricultural land until the end of March. Up to 300 events could be affected.

• Supermarket chain Somerfield suspends a series of roadshows for hundreds of farmers next week. About a dozen events were due to be held at NFU offices under the company's Regional Promise campaign, which aims to give local producers the chance to supply local Somerfield stores.

• Northumberland County Council says children who live on affected land within the exclusion zones surrounding the two farms should stay at home until further notice.

• A major disinfectant manufacturer in Suffolk says production has increased 10-fold and it is receiving hundreds of calls a day from farmers and the public seeking advice.

• This weekend's Ten Tors training on Dartmoor is cancelled as a precaution against the spread of foot and mouth disease. Hundreds of young people had been due to practice for the expedition.

• The National Trust cancels a point-to-point race in Dorset as a precaution to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.

• Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire joins city zoos in announcing a temporary closure to protect its rare animals.

• Agriculture Minister Nick Brown admits supplies of meat will be disrupted, but warns shoppers not to start panic buying.

Friday 23 February:

• As the disease increases its grip on the country, Maff officials say they think they have identified the source of the outbreak.

• The government introduces a seven-day ban on the movement of all livestock in Britain in a bid to stop the spread of the disease.

• Twenty plough horses which had travelled to Northern Ireland to take part in a ploughing championship are being stabled in the province for a week until the livestock movement ban is lifted.

• Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in Bedfordshire, one of the largest wildlife parks in Europe, bans cars entering the main gates.

• The National Trust closes all land containing livestock to members of the public and postpones all educational and school visit to its centres.

• A Channel 4 show is hit by the crisis as filming for a new comedy is held up by restrictions on farms.

• The Livestock and Auctioneers Association announces that all livestock markets and abattoirs in England and Wales will be closed for one week.

• Fears that the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham could be affected by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease grow with organisers saying the thousands of visitors and 350 horses could potentially be carriers of the deadly disease.

• A livestock auction in Colchester, Essex is voluntarily cancelled as a direct result of the crisis.

• The organisers of the English National Cross Country Championships begin urgent talks to decide what to do about races scheduled for Saturday in County Durham.

• The Jockey Club urges the racing community to take extra care.

• Shares on the stock market are affected as fears the spread of the disease may lead to race meetings being cancelled. Shares in Arena Leisure fall 5.5p with Stanley Racing shares down 10p.

Thursday 22 February:

• Even more farms have been sealed off for investigation and farmers are beginning to fear the worst.

• Discussions begin between government officials and zoo authorities to decided whether restrictions should be put in place. Elephants, rhinos, yak, camels and llamas are susceptible to the disease and many zoos also have children's farms which stock cattle, sheep, pigs and goats - all of which can be infected.

• Organisers of next month's Countryside March call on protestors from areas affected by foot-and-mouth disease not to attend. Half a million farmers, landowners, hunt supporters and rural campaigners are expected to march on London on Sunday 18 March.

• Staff at an abattoir in North Wales are sent home as a direct result of the export ban. The owner of the abattoir, Owen G Owen, says the affect to the local community is already being felt and the prospect of redundancies is looming.

• Hunting Associations across Britain agree to a voluntary seven-day ban of all hunts.

• Maff issues a "major alert" to anyone who has contact with the countryside saying that all non-essential visits to farms with livestock should be avoided by both rural and city dwellers.

• Postmen are urged to leave deliveries at farm gates, ramblers are asked to cancel plans for countryside treks and farmers are advised to install troughs filled with disinfectant at the entrances to their land.

• Dog owners are told to keep their pets under control and away from livestock. Horse-riders are asked to think carefully about the routes they take - horses are not at risk of the disease but can carry it.

• Farmers are warned not to enter sheep for sale at Bakewell Livestock Market in the Peak District.

• A point-to-point race, due to take place near the Essex abattoir where the outbreak was identified, is postponed.

• The Livestock Auctioneers' Association reports that prices for live animals have already fallen by around 25%.

Wednesday 21 February:

• Britain's countryside is effectively out of bounds and the UK is quarantined from the rest of the world.

• The government announces emergency controls on the export of live animals, meat, milk and other animal products.

• The Irish Government bans imports of animal and dairy products from the UK.

• Irish tourists visiting Britain are warned to exercise particular caution by not visiting farms, and not bringing meat, meat products, milk or milk products home with them.

• The Meat and Livestock Commission says the export ban on live animals will cost the British meat industry £8m a week in lost sales revenue.

• A livestock market due to be held in Essex on Thursday is cancelled as a precautionary measure

• Chairman of the National Farmers' Union, Ben Gill, says that foot-and-mouth disease has been known to spread 150 miles by air and warns people not to travel into rural areas unless absolutely necessary.