Last foot-and-mouth controls end

Foot-and-mouth controls returned to the UK in 2007

Animals from all parts of the UK can be exported live to EU countries, after the last foot-and-mouth controls ended.

The EU restrictions, affecting parts of Surrey and London, were lifted after three months without the disease.

The move came as the National Farmers' Union called for a "sea change" in government attitudes.

It said confidence was "low" in some farming sectors because of bluetongue disease, bird flu and high feed prices as well as foot-and-mouth.

Eight cases

The foot-and-mouth restrictions in Surrey and London ended at midnight.

EU controls on exports of animals, meat and animal products were lifted in other parts of the country on 14 December.

Livestock movements within the UK also returned to normal.

There had been eight foot-and-mouth cases in Surrey and Berkshire since August but none since 30 September.

'Knife edge'

In a New Year message, NFU president Peter Kendall said the government needed to acknowledge the importance of farming to the economy and environment, after a difficult year.

Extra support was needed because of increasingly insecure food supplies and the impact of climate change.

And more scientific research was required to protect the industry, for example through the development of a bluetongue vaccine, he said.

World food supply was balanced on a "knife edge", with wheat stocks falling and demand growing, Mr Kendall added.

"No country can afford to neglect the productivity of its own farming sector against that daunting background, least of all a country like the UK, which has allowed its self-sufficiency in indigenous food to fall by 15% in the last 10 years.

"What we need is a sea-change in the government's approach to farming to match the sea-change that has occurred in the industry's importance to the economy."