Mass slaughter to end foot-and-mouth crisis

By BRIDGET CARTER, TONY STICKLEY and PHILIPPA STEVENSON

At least one million sheep, pigs and cows will have to be slaughtered if the British Government is to have any chance of containing the foot-and-mouth crisis, says Britain's National Farmers' Union.

But other estimates of the mounting epidemic suggest the kill may be double the figure.

Jim Muirhead, editor of an on-line agricultural news service, ThePigSite, said if the current outbreak followed a course similar to that of Britain's last major epidemic in 1967-68 the devastation could be five times greater, simply because farms are now that much bigger.

The disease was spreading at a slower rate than 34 years ago and could eventually affect 1100 farms, less than half the previous outbreak, but still meaning the slaughter of two million animals.

A senior NFU official agreed: "The number of animals involved could be phenomenal. It is open-ended. Even one million could turn out to be a conservative estimate."

The Independent newspaper reported that as farmers braced themselves for the unprecedented cull of livestock, mostly sheep, the Government had warned that hundreds of farms in a huge swathe of land from Cumbria in northern England into southern Scotland would be cleared of all livestock susceptible to the virus.

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, sanctioned the move after he met farmers' leaders in Downing St on Tuesday.

NFU president Ben Gill said: "There will be many tears around the British countryside today.

"Our farms should be starting to jump to life with new-born lambs and calves. Instead, many will feel that Spring has been cancelled and their farms are simply dead."

Eight new cases were confirmed yesterday, bringing the total to 241. Now 161,000 animals have been slaughtered and 64,000 are waiting.

But there is still strong opposition to the slaughter. Some farmers are in almost open revolt. More pressure was put on Mr Blair to postpone the local authority elections on May 3, and the general election penciled in for the same day.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has given an assurance that European products containing meat and dairy ingredients now in shops are safe to eat because they were processed and imported before the outbreak.

Imports affected by the ban imposed this week include cheese, salami and processed pork products usually found in delicatessens.

Gaie Ellis, of Brown's Delicatessen in St Heliers, provides cheese lovers with exquisite European varieties.

Ms Ellis said the situation was unclear and European cheeses and meats would now be hard, if not impossible, to come by.

"It is quite an important part of our market. People who have travelled a lot are developing a taste for these cheeses."

But she said the ban might prompt European cheese lovers to try more home-made varieties.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old New Zealander arriving from Thailand - where foot-and-mouth disease is present - was found with 26 eggs strapped to her body on Thursday.

MAF enforcement manager Jockey Jensen said his staff were on high alert at Auckland Airport because of the epidemic in Europe.

He said charges would be laid.

Smuggling the eggs, believed to be parrot eggs, could incur up to five years' jail, and/or a fine of up to $100,000.

Feature: Foot-and-Mouth Disease epidemic