Foot-and-mouth 'could cost £20m'

The cull could cost about £20m, the minister said

The foot-and-mouth outbreak in Scotland could cost as much as £20m, according to Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie.

The figure includes a compensation package being offered to farmers and the cost of slaughtering 200,000 sheep at 500 farms across the country.

Mr Finnie said: "It's very difficult to put a figure on it, but if you take the cost of compensation and all the logistics that are involved, we're talking in the order of £10m to £20m."

Since the start of the foot-and-mouth outbreak 20,652 sheep and 5,767 cattle have been slaughtered in Scotland, according to assistant chief veterinary officer for Scotland Leslie Gardner.

Ross Finnie: Announced the massive cull of sheep

Mr Gardner said all of the farms involved in the mass cull, announced by Mr Finnie on Thursday, would be within Dumfries and Galloway.

He added that teams of experts were also checking 15 other farms which have had some connection to Longtown Mart near Carlisle.

Mr Gardner said trained slaughtermen will be drafted in to humanely kill the sheep, but he would not rule out the possibility of bringing in the army at some stage to help with the process.

He said: "This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved and it is essential that the sheep being slaughtered are done so in a humane manner by people skilled in that area.

Confirmed disease cases in Scotland

34 cases on 15 March

Lockerbie (7 cases)

Canonbie (8)

Gretna (9)

Lochmaben(2)

Twynholm

Langholm

Beattock

Ruthwell

Tundergarth

Moffat

Dalton

Torthorward

"But that is not to say the army at some stage won't be deployed."

Mr Gardner refused to say how long he expected it to be before the disease was finally brought under control, but said he believed the moves announced on Thursday would speed up that process.

He said: "The reason this drastic action is being taken is because it's become apparent as it develops that we're now getting a lot of spread.

"There's a lot of infected animals in a very small geographical location and the virus is spreading to surrounding farms.

"That's why we're taking this action. We believe it will accelerate the approach of the end of the outbreak, but we can't put a time limit on it."