A temporary control zone around a farm in Solihull, in the West Midlands, has been lifted after disease tests on animals there proved negative. Earlier, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was also lifting some movement restrictions outside the surveillance zone surrounding the three farms where the disease was found most recently, all near Egham, Surrey.

Licences will be granted allowing pigs to be moved for welfare reasons, and allowing the movement of animals for up to 3km (1.8 miles) or cows for calving up to 50km (31 miles) between premises belonging to the same owner.

Three cases of foot-and-mouth have been confirmed this month, just a few miles away from the Pirbright research complex in Surrey - blamed as the source of the foot-and-mouth outbreaks at two other farms in August. Foot-and-mouth was confirmed at Hardwick Park Farm, Egham, a week ago, with animals then testing positive at nearby Stroude Farm shortly after. On Tuesday it emerged animals at The Klondyke farm had contracted the disease and had been culled. A 3km (1.8-mile) protection zone has been set up around the Surrey farmland, with a 10km (6.2-mile) surveillance zone encircling it.

(Source: BBC)

Posted on Friday, September 21st, 2007 at 9:49 am and filed under Website, Press Release.

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