Farmers rebuild herds after virus

Restriction zones and culling of herds followed the outbreak

Farmers in a part of Surrey have begun rebuilding their herds after some 2,250 cattle were culled in the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

In an end-of-year message, the mayor of Runnymede, Hugh Meares said farmers in the borough were "badly hit" in August.

But he said the virus was successfully contained, compared with 2001 when millions of cattle across the UK died.

He said many farmers, including his close neighbours, were having to rebuild herds completely.

'Traumatic experience'

Mr Meares said: "The most striking and saddest moment of the year with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in Runnymede was that no-one was quite sure what strange link of wind, water or passage chose to connect us with the original outbreak at Pirbright."

"It is a most traumatic experience for any farmer to have his cattle slaughtered as they stand," Mr Meares added.

He said farmers were compensated for the loss of the animals, but it could take years to rebuild herds of rare breeds.

The first outbreak of the disease in August was traced to a laboratory at Pirbright.

The second outbreak in the county, happened a month later in Runnymede, about 11 miles (17km) away.