A fifth outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been confirmed in the Netherlands. The Dutch agriculture ministry announced the latest case earlier today. Authorities planned to destroy 130 calves at the farm in Oene, where an earlier outbreak was reported. All five infected sites are in the eastern part of the country. Meanwhile, Britain has now reported 573 cases of the disease since it first appeared in the country on 19 February.
In another development, the British government yesterday approved a nationwide slaughter of healthy animals on farms in sites affected by foot and mouth disease, clearing earlier confusion about whether the cull would be confined to the worst affected areas. In Cumbria and North West Scotland, the areas worst affected by the disease, the zones of culling are to be increased to two miles around an infected area.
The Agriculture Minister, Nick Brown, also announced that the automatic cull of livestock on farms neighbouring those known to be affected with the disease is to proceed. Until now, animals on neighbouring farms were only culled if vets considered them at risk of contracting the disease.
The leader of the British Conservative Party, William Hague, has said that he believed it was time to set up a crisis cabinet to deal with the foot and mouth outbreak. Mr Hague accused the Prime Minister Tony Blair of underestimating the scale of the problem and failing to work with speed and vigour to eliminate it. He also called for the army to be used to help in the disposal of rotting carcasses, and not just for logistical purposes.
