A third case of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed yesterday on a farm in Surrey.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that sheep, pigs and cattle that were slaughtered on suspicion of FMD on Monday were in fact infected with the disease. The farm in question is located not far from Egham, Surrey, where the latest outbreak first appeared.
This latest case is the fifth confirmed infection this year since August 3. The 10km surveillance zone in Surrey has been altered slightly to reflect the latest outbreak, but no major changes have been made.
The decision was also taken yesterday not to vaccinate livestock in the surrounding areas. Defra said this was because of the success of the slaughter policy and low risk of the disease spreading outside the Surrey area. Debby Reynolds, Chief Veterinary Officer, said yesterday that vaccination would be implemented if ‘it is demonstrated that steps in additional to the slaughter policy are required to eradicate the disease’.
The ban on moving livestock is still in place, and likely to remain for the near future. Further restrictions on those farms inside the surveillance zone will remain for a longer period of time. For more information on this third confirmed case of Foot and Mouth, see the Defra Foot and Mouth Disease page.
