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NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 259/07
Date: 14 August 2007

Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960

Foot and Mouth Disease update: further temporary control zone established in Surrey

This afternoon a 3km radius Temporary Control Zone has been put around a premises in Surrey outside of the existing Surveillance Zone. This is the second premises at which a Temporary Control Zone has been placed today.

Both are precautionary measures following inconclusive assessments of clinical symptoms by Animal Health veterinary staff. The national movement ban remains in place. In addition, in the Temporary Control Zone, general licences will not apply for the movement of animals to slaughter and collection of dead animals from farms.

Information on the latest situation on the Food and Mouth Disease outbreak can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth

Notes to editors

1. The current Protection and Surveillance Zones remain.  The exact details of these measures can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/  Disease surveillance is ongoing.

2. The Defra public helpline is currently operating from 6am-10pm. The public should call:  08459 335577.
(For current Helpline hours please see "Contacting Defra")

3.  Advice from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is that foot and mouth disease is not a public health threat.

4. FMD is a disease of cattle and very few human cases have ever been recorded even though the disease is endemic in animals in many parts of the world including Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Foot and mouth disease only crosses the species barrier from cattle to human with very great difficulty. The last human case reported in Britain occurred in 1966. The disease in humans, in the very rare cases that have occurred, is mild, short-lived and requires no medical treatment.

5. Where farmers are facing acute welfare problems as a result of the movement restrictions they can contact the RSPCA Farm Welfare Hotline 0870 7538 333.

 

End

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Page published: 14 August 2007 17:55
Page last modified: 15 August 2007 18:00

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs