There's no avoiding the horrible truth. Foot-and-mouth disease is back in the UK.
As you might expect Farmers Weekly readers are telling us they are shocked and disappointed. But they are completely supportive of the movement standtill put in place by DEFRA and feel that, this time, the government is acting fast and appropriately.
What the industry is praying for is that the case in Surrey is an isolated one - although, of course, that then raises questions about how the hell it got there. There are no swill users to blame this time around...
The fact it is in cattle, rather than pigs and sheep, is a good sign. The disease can be difficult to pick up in sheep and is a problem in pigs because they emit the disease more readily than other species.