Foot and mouth disease (FMD) 2007 Surrey outbreak – Farmers Weekly Interactive’s special report

Latest News on FWi:

Other selected Foot and Mouth news stories:

Foot and mouth disease outbreak reports published

Reaction to foot and mouth reports

DEFRA's foot and mouth action plan

Foot and mouth – multiple biosecurity breaches at Pirbright

Scotland to conduct independent inquiry into foot and mouth disease

Builders blamed for spread of foot and mouth disease

Foot and mouth vaccine production to restart

Foot and mouth reports to be published within days - DEFRA

Live auctions to resume in England and Wales on Monday

Useful contacts:

www.defra.gov.uk   08459 335 577

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture   0845 155 33 66

www.wales.gov.uk/  0845 010 5500

www.dardni.gov.uk/   028 9052 4999

The outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a farm in Surrey has led to a national ban on livestock movements. Here is a round -up of DEFRA's current advice:

Key government advice for preventing the spread of Foot & Mouth.

Key messages are:

• Avoid visiting other farms unless absolutely necessary
• Keep different species of livestock separate where possible
• When handling your animals, be aware that sheep do not always show obvious signs of the disease and you could inadvertently infect other animals.
• Keep everything clean – materials like mud or bedding on clothes, boots equipment or vehicles can carry the virus from farm to farm or between different groups of livestock on the farm.
• It is essential that you clean yourself, your vehicle and everything you carry thoroughly when you move between different groups of livestock on the farm.
• Make sure you have disinfectant and cleaning material ready at your farm entrance, so that essential visitors can disinfect themselves before entering the premises and as they leave.

For more detailed advice see DEFRA’s fact sheet Biosecurity – Preventing the introduction and the spread of foot and mouth disease (PDF).

Other Foot and Mouth Disease news from around the web:

Second outbreak: extended protection and surveillance map:

Foot and mouth disease outbreak - The theory following the HSE report into Pirbright (8 August, 2007)

FMD map: Surrey outbreak

Here is the map showing the foot and mouth protection and surveillance zones

Foot and mouth disease pictures

For more pictures, go through to our foot and mouth picture gallery

Foot and mouth disease in the UK

Here are some useful links relating to foot and mouth in the UK, particularly the outbreak in 2001 

• Foot and mouth 2001 disease inquiry
• Sir Brian Follett - BBC Q & A into foot and mouth inquiry
• Swill users to sue DEFRA for £40m in battle for foot and mouth justice
• Why is foot and mouth legal action coming six years after the event?
• Alastair Campbell diaries give insight into foot and mouth crisis
• New inquiry under way
• Video sparks call for an inquiry
• BBC background to the foot and mouth outbreak

What is foot and mouth disease?

Foot and mouth is a viral disease of cloven hoofed animals (sheep, cattle, pigs etc) which is easily spread. The UK is normally free of this disease but the last major outbreak was in 2001 when the government was serciously criticised for mismanaging the epidemic.

Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious but non-fatal viral disease of cattle and pigs. It can also infect deer, goats, sheep, and other animals with cloven hooves, as well as elephants, rats, and hedgehogs. Horses are not susceptible. Foot and mouth disease in humans is very rare.

The cause of foot and mouth disease was first shown to be viral in 1897 by Friedrich Loffler. In the UK the most recent outbreaks were in 2001 and before that in the 1960s.