Third Beacons sheep cull completed

The latest cull will take the recent slaughter toll to 6,500

The cull of a further 1,300 sheep on the Brecon Beacons in mid Wales, has been completed.

The Welsh Assembly announced the mass slaughter on Friday after blood test results found low levels of the virus.

The slaughter on Saturday brings the number of animals killed on the Beacons in recent weeks to 6,500.

Crisis in Wales

Total confirmed cases UK-wide 1,921 - with 114 in Wales

Powys - 74 cases

Anglesey - 13 cases

Monmouthshire - 20 cases

Caerphilly - 2

Rhondda Cynon Taff - 1

Neath Port Talbot -1

Newport - 3

But farmers are still awaiting the results of blood tests on a further 4,000 sheep which were carried out this week.

A Welsh Assembly spokesman said the results were expected after the weekend.

A picture is emerging of how foot-and-mouth has moved around mid Wales and Rural Affairs Minister Carwyn Jones has been upbeat about efforts to trace and combat the disease.

"The results we had confirm an emerging picture, whereby the disease is getting less the further away you get from Libanus," he said.

"All the evidence so far suggests that the disease has been spreading on the mountain from one original point and that the level of infection drops sharply as we move out from that point.

"It provides us with some comfort - the disease isn't as widespread as people had feared at one time."

Disinfection resumes

The decision to continue the culling in Brecon came as the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs announced the resumption of the disinfection scheme to rid farms in England and Wales of the disease.

It had been halted by the government for a two-week review amid concerns over escalating costs.

More than 5,000 sheep have already been culled on the hills - 4,000 last weekend and a further 1,200 earlier in the week.

Mr Jones said the fact that the latest results supported the theory that the disease was spreading from one source, was positive.

Protesters opposed to culling gathered at the National Assembly last week

"This reinforces our confidence that a robust approach to culling will eradicate the disease in the Pen-y-Fan area. We will continue to conduct tests in that area and more widely on the Beacons," he said.

"As part of this approach, the State Veterinary Service and the graziers involved have agreed that the best way forward is that a further 1,300 sheep will be culled, on the basis that they had been in contact with infected animals."

With more test results still awaited, there have been fears the disease threatens the entire flock of 100,000 sheep in the Beacons.

The cycle of testing and killing is likely to continue until officials are convinced that they have got ahead of the disease.

'Fewer cases'

But the Farmers' Union of Wales said it was encouraged by the action being taken.

"The assembly seems to be getting on top of things," a spokesman said.

"We are optimistic that once this cull takes place we will see fewer sheep testing positive for antibodies of the virus."

The National Farmers' Union in Wales has been pressing for some sheep to be saved.

It wants healthy animals to be put into quarantine and later used to restock the hills.