Active Cooperation On Foot And Mouth
- August 11th, 2007
- Posted by EUEditor
Measures by British authorities to contain the foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey have been endorsed by a high-level European Commission committee monitoring the operation.
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health unanimously agreed that the whole of Great Britain should continue to be defined as a high risk zone, as requested by UK authorities, (with exemptions for Northern Ireland).
It confirmed measures taken in line with EU legislation, including, in England, the culling of livestock and setting up of a control zone around two properties where the highly infectious animal disease was found this time.
British authorities reported on cleaning and biosecurity measures taken since the first outbreak on 3.8.07, and efforts to identify the source of the infection this time.
Shipments of meat and milk, and live animals from Britain have been stopped.
On Saturday (11.8.07) tests were being carried out to check whether there was foot and mouth disease at a new, suspect location outside the present control zone, with government veterinarians saying they doubted that it was.
The EU body is to review the situation on 23.8.07.
Reference: European Commission, Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Standing Committee approves Commission Decision maintaining measures for Great Britain; Brussels; IP/07/1226, 9.8.07