Foot-and-mouth disease

In September, the number of new cases finally falls below one per day, with the remaining cases confined to two hotspots around Hexham in Northumberland and Penrith in Cumbria. Restrictions on the autumn movement of livestock take effect across the country. BBC News Online follows the story in Audio and Video.

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25 September 2001

Prince Charles visits Cumbria

Prince Charles visiting farmers and local businessmen in Cumbria

Prince Charles visits Cumbria to meet some of those who have suffered in the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Local farms have been among the worst hit anywhere in the country. And the Lake District, which is largely dependent on tourism, suffered heavily as visitors stayed away.

The BBC's Kevin Bocquet reports

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11 September 2001

Netherlands resumes livestock exports

The Dutch quickly isolated diseased areas to prevent spread of the disease

Dutch farmers are able to resume exports of livestock, five months after the last case of foot-and-mouth. The authorities used immunisation to prevent the spread of the disease and were able to eradicate the outbreak quickly. The Netherlands says the European Union should change its rules to use vaccination instead of mass slaughter during any future outbreak.

The BBC's Linda Duffin reports

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7 September 2001

Renewed call for vaccination

A vet checks a lamb for foot and mouth disease

The government faces continuing calls to vaccinate livestock to help eradicate the disease and prevent future outbreaks. Professor Fred Brown, who helped the UK government tackle the last serious outbreak in 1967 also says the disease could be eradicated globally if all countries adopted a vaccination policy.

The BBC's Tim Hirsch reports
Professor Fred Brown says vaccination should have been used as soon as it was clear the disease was not under control

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5 September 2001

Movement ban across North East

Roads leading in and out of infected areas are treated with disinfectant

Farmers are banned from moving animals across much of northern England as the outbreak in Northumberland continues to spread. There have been 19 cases there in the last 2 weeks. The movement restrictions cover 6,000 square miles of North East England as well as parts of Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The BBC's Kevin Bocquet reports

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4 September 2001

Number of cases reaches 2,000

The Tow Law burial site re-opens to cope with the latest mass culls

The mass cull of thousands of animals in Northumberland forces the authorities to re-open a controversial burial pit in County Durham despite local protests. Residents claim the site is a serious health risk. The latest outbreaks in Northumberland and Cumbria have taken the total number of cases of foot-and-mouth to 2,000.

The BBC's John Thorne reports

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