Farming crisis to cost up to $10bn

LONDON - Britain could face a bill of up to £3 billion ($10.6 billion) for tackling the foot-and-mouth epidemic that has ravaged the farming and tourism industries.

The Independent newspaper said the crisis would leave a big hole in the Government's emergency reserves.

"The eventual cost is up in the air - it could be anything between £1 billion and £3 billion," an unidentified senior Government minister was quoted as saying.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Government said yesterday that the number of sites infected with foot-and-mouth had topped 1000, but the country's top scientist said the epidemic might be levelling off.

The United States made it clear that it was strengthening its defences against the highly infectious and financially devastating disease that has also spread to the Netherlands, France and Ireland.

"We are taking every effort that we possibly can to make sure that we do not experience what Britain has been experiencing over the past several weeks," said US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman.

The detection of foot-and-mouth in France last month prompted the US to ban the import of livestock and fresh meats, mostly pork, from the 15-nation European Union.

US officials say an outbreak in the United States could cause billions of dollars of losses to farmers.

The Netherlands has 15 confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth, France two and Ireland one. The disease has also surfaced in South America and the Middle East.

Britain's chief scientific adviser, Professor David King, said that efforts to slaughter animals within 24 hours of diagnosis, and cull livestock on farms surrounding infected sites within two days, were starting to take effect.

"It looks to me as if the policy is biting," King said, adding that in another seven days he would be able to say if the disease had peaked.

Last month, King had warned that unless the Government bucked up its ideas, as many as half of Britain's 62 million livestock would have to be killed to wipe out the epidemic.

Meanwhile, the English Tourism Council is encouraging holidaymakers to visit the countryside. It said three-quarters of attractions were still open despite the crisis.

- REUTERS

Herald Online feature: Foot-and-mouth disaster

World organisation for animal health

UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Pig Health/Foot and Mouth feature

Virus databases online