Farm stops children touching eggs

The National Trust is no longer allowing children to handle new-laid eggs at one of its farms in case youngsters catch infections.

Trust officials said they had stopped youngsters from touching eggs at Wimpole Hall Farm near Cambridge on the advice of the Health Protection Agency.

A trust spokesman said visitors were also no longer being allowed to feed grass pellets to goats on the farm.

There had been no problems with people contracting infections, he said.

'Low health risk'

"We have not imposed a ban as such, but what we have done is withdrawn the invitation for visitors to handle eggs after they have been laid or to feed grass pellets to the goats," said the trust spokesman.

"We have taken these measures a couple of weeks ago on the advice of the Health Protection Agency following a general health review.

"However, we were told that there was a low risk of children picking up an infection by handling newly laid eggs."

He said visitors had not been banned from touching or patting any animals on the farm.

Wash hands

The farm, which attracts about 12,000 visitors a year, has been operating for more than 30 years.

Professor of Health Protection at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, said several outbreaks of diarrhoea had been traced back to open farms and there was always concern that legal action would be taken.

"Personally I would take the view that it is OK to allow my children to visit open farms and handle eggs and pet animals, but I would make absolutely sure that they wash their hands thoroughly as soon as they have done so."