Foot-and-mouth feared at new farm

Seven farms in Surrey have been infected since August

Cattle are being slaughtered at a farm in Surrey on suspicion of having foot-and-mouth disease.

The cull follows tests on animals within the existing protection zone set up in the county, where there have been seven infected premises since August.

Defra said there was no timetable for when the results of tests involving the latest case would be known.

Tory shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said the suspected case would come as "terrible news to farmers".

The latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth began in August when two farms in Surrey were found to have the disease.

Leaking pipes at the nearby Pirbright laboratory site were blamed as the source of the outbreak.

New control zones

Meanwhile, bluetongue control and protect zones came into force at midnight, replacing the temporary area brought in on Tuesday.

The new bluetongue control zone comprises parts of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

The protection zone also includes London and parts of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex.

Different movement restrictions apply within the zones, mainly to the movement of cattle.

Foot-and-mouth emerged again in farms near Egham in Surrey just days after the government declared the UK free of the disease.

Restrictions 'to be eased'

Five new cases have emerged, with cattle at a farm in Englefield Green testing positive last week after being culled.

A 3km (1.9-mile) protection zone is in place around the farms.

The government has said restrictions on moving livestock to markets in areas classed as being low risk for foot-and-mouth are to be eased next week.

Farmers in England, Wales and Scotland will be able to move their livestock from Thursday, 4 October as long as the situation does not change.

In Scotland, slaughter markets will resume on Monday.