Reaction in quotes: Laboratories link

The Pirbright research site, which is used for animal disease research and vaccine manufacturing, has become the focus of the investigation into the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Surrey.

As well as the government's Institute for Animal Health (IAH), the laboratory complex houses the private pharmaceutical company Merial Animal Health.

The IAH has issued a statement that there have been no "breaches of procedure" at its laboratory.

Here is some reaction.

DAVID CAMERON, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER

"If it turns out that the virus was released either from the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright or from the next-door lab at Merial - which, by the way, is inspected and licensed by the government - it will be astonishing news, because the organisations responsible for stopping things like foot-and-mouth will effectively be responsible for starting it.

"The government will have some serious questions to answer about the report which came out in 2002 that said the facilities were shabby and not up to standard.

"Farmers up and down the country are going to be quite angry because they have done masses to improve their own biosecurity and they are all suffering at the moment, apparently because of mistakes made at a laboratory which is meant to stop foot-and-mouth.

"While the movement ban is absolutely right we shouldn't forget that the ban on moving all animals around the country is not pain-free.

"It means abattoirs are closed for business but they still have to pay their staff. It means that markets and auctions are completely out of business while the ban continues.

"Farmers will be suffering from the movement ban. They will support it - they know it is right - but if they are suffering because others have made mistakes, they have every right to be quite angry."

DAVID CATLOW, BRITISH VETERINARY ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Mr Catlow said the Pirbright facility had a very good safety record.

"As I understand, the biosecurity, the air filtration, everything about these category A high-risk research establishments, it is absolutely top-notch.

"Of course, a leak is not impossible but as I am aware their track record is very, very good."

HUMFREY MALINS MP FOR WOKING

"Over many years the centre has existed here in Pirbright. It's been very well-run and has had very, very high standards and a lot of local connections for employees.

"So some people may have thought there is a connection: they may be right. That would come as a great shock to local people in Pirbright and Normandy because of the excellent track record of the centre over so many years."

CHRIS HUHNE, LIB DEM ENVIRONMENT SPOKESMAN

"Being less than four miles away from these labs, the finger of suspicion does alight there.

"It's very important to have an independent review; make sure that biosecurity at the labs is tough because frankly, it would be appalling if it is confirmed that these labs which were meant to protect British farming actually have been a source of the outbreak."

LAWRENCE MATTHEWS, A FARMER IN EXCLUSION ZONE

"This is pretty devastating to hear really that the government's agency, the government's lab, possibly have lost control and it's got out. And it's going to be quite disheartening for most farmers to know that it's come from there."

PETER AINSWORTH, SHADOW ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY

"Now we get this extraordinary twist that while farmers across the country are understandably highly anxious in looking for signs of the disease and everyone's trying to hunt down the source of the thing, it turns out it might have been the government's own laboratory that was leaking.

"And that clearly raises very important questions about the adequacy of biosecurity at the Pirbright facility.

"There was a review of the Institute of Animal Health at Pirbright in 2002 conducted by another government agency which found that there were very serious inadequacies in the buildings there.

"And what I'll be trying to establish is whether or not any of those recommendations were followed through."

JOHN CROSS, ENGLISH BEEF AND LAMB EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

"It's almost a good thing from the industry's point of view because if we can establish the source of the outbreak within two days of it starting then that does give us a bit of a head start on pursuing the isolation and the eradication.

"If you've actually got a relatively small country with a big agriculture, then wherever you put a facility like that, you're going to be within reasonable proximity of some aspect of the industry. But we do need facilities like that, I mean the essential thing is the biosecurity of the facility."