The number of confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease in the UK has risen to 164, after a record number of cases were identified today. Twenty-five new cases were confirmed across Britain. Despite the rising number of cases of the disease, Britain's Agriculture Minister Nick Brown has insisted that foot and mouth disease is under control in the UK.
He said that draconian restrictions on livestock movement and the destruction of thousands of infected animals were containing the highly infectious disease. "I'm absolutely certain we have it under control. I know the sight of dead animals being burned is horrific and worries people, but it's the right policy to pursue," Brown told BBC Television's Breakfast with Frost. Mr Brown said that 90,000 animals have been destroyed and another 37,000 were waiting their turn. Britain has 867 farms under quarantine restrictions.
The British Department of Agriculture today transported lorry loads of dead animals to a rendering plant in Cheshire, as efforts intensify to halt the spread of foot and mouth. Officials say the lorries are airtight and that there is no danger of the disease being spread by the dead animals en route. However, they are concerned that the carcasses may remain contagious until they have been destroyed.
The North's Agriculture Minister, Brid Rodgers, has said that she is extremely disappointed at the decision by the British-based ice hockey superleague to go ahead with last night's cup final in Belfast, against the advice of her Department. She also criticised the way foot and mouth precautions were handled for cars arriving at the Odyssey Arena. Over 7500 people packed the Odyssey Arena in Belfast for last night's British ice hockey league challenge cup final between Ayr and Sheffield.
The North's Executive had advised the organisers to postpone the game to help prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease. The attendance included around 1,000 visiting fans and a number of disinfected mats had been placed at the entrances to the building as a precaution. For vehicles arriving in the main car park, however, it was a different story. Brid Rodgers felt the mats used, which were smaller then the width of a car, were merely token measures. While all other main sporting organisations had called off fixtures, Mrs Rodgers criticised the ice hockey league were following their own narrow interests.
No one from the Odyssey was available for comment. But the British ice hockey league said that last week it had advised fans from rural areas of the North or from any foot and mouth infected areas in Britain not to travel to the final. The Dublin-based Irish Ice Hockey Association said that it had cancelled a trip with 100 supporters to the Arena a week ago in the national interest.
