Blair meeting crisis-hit farmers

A burial pit has been excavated near Lockerbie

Prime Minister Tony Blair is visiting Dumfries and Galloway for the first time since the start of the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Mr Blair is coming face-to-face with farmers whose livestock have been wiped out because of the disease.

Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell, Scottish First Minister Henry McLeish and Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie are accompanying Mr Blair on his visit.

Before Mr Blair arrived, Dumfries MP Russell Brown warned the Prime Minister to put off plans for a general election in May because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

The Labour MP said: "I am concerned about conducting an election under these circumstances."

He called for a "slight delay" in the election.

Confirmed farms in Scotland include

99 cases on 29 March

Lockerbie (15 cases)

Canonbie (13)

Gretna (17)

Lochmaben(4)

Twynholm(3)

Langholm

Beattock(6)

Corrie

Ruthwell(5)

Tundergarth(2)

Moffat (3)

Dalton(2)

Torthorward

Mouswald(6)

Hightae(3)

Kirtlebridge(2)

Creca

Collin(2)

Kirkpatrick Fleming(2)

Annan (3)

Troqueer

New Abbey(2)

Haugh of Urr

St Anns

Eastriggs(2)

Ecclefechan

Shawhead

Newcastleton(2)

Dumfries and Galloway is the worst affected part of Scotland, with 97 confirmed cases so far.

The country's two other cases are a short distance away in the Scottish Borders.

The news came as the president of the National Farmers' Union of Scotland (NFUS), Jim Walker, warned that there is some evidence that in highly infected zones farmers trying to disinfect themselves are actually spreading foot-and-mouth.

He said: "The only way you can effectively disinfect a vehicle or yourself is a thorough cleansing first with a pressure washer, and that is very difficult and time consuming.

"We are putting out an appeal today for any farmers within these infected zones to make sure they thoroughly cleanse their vehicles and themselves first before they move to try and dampen down this disease for the last time."

On Thursday, Tory leader William Hague visited Lockerbie on a tour of some of the worst affected areas in Britain.

He called on Mr Blair to delay calling a May general election and concentrate on solving the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Mr Walker backed Mr Hague's pleas.

After meeting Mr Blair at Downing Street on Thursday, he said: "I still fundamentally believe he cannot hold an election on 3 May because he needs to spend his time, his energy, and his concentration on eradicating this disease.

"And how can that happen if he is campaigning up and down the country for votes?"

He has also stated his opposition to any introduction of vaccination, which he said would leave large parts of the country facing economic ruin.

On his visit to Dumfries, Mr Blair will meet Mr Walker and some farmers who have been directly affected by the crisis.

Tony Blair will meet Dumfries farmers

He will also meet some of those fighting to eradicate the disease, along with representatives of the tourist board.

Many farmers have been questioning why the prime minister has so far failed to venture north of the border.

Mr Blair has already visited the worst affected areas in England, receiving a frosty reception in Cumbria last week.

In Scotland, the Army has started to dispose of slaughtered sheep in a mass burial site five miles south of Lockerbie.

The trenches at Birkshaw Forest will be able to hold up to 250,000 carcasses.

Closer to target

The army said the site will allow it to move closer to the target of slaughtering and disposing of 10,000 sheep a day.

More than 100 vets are currently involved in the slaughtering process in Dumfries and Galloway, but officials said around 20 more are urgently needed to cope with the workload.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Executive has asked businesses to tell it how they are being affected by the crisis.

A freephone telephone line has been launched on 0800 027 5550 to help the executive build up a picture of the outbreak's economic impact.